RWBY: Red Ice
by RebelKira
Summary: Crimson Vayr has been accepted into beacon with a little help from Qrow Branwen. As his past starts to unravel will he be able to remain a strong enough student to continue his training, or will he be forced out of beacon. My first attempt at fanfic. I don't own RWBY I only own the OC's. Rated M for Mild Language, Violence, and Sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello all and welcome to my first Fanfiction for RWBY. I decided to finally put a note/disclaimer at the beginning of this chapter. I know the first few chapters of this story are not the best quality. When I started, I had little experience in writing and have since gotten some help and pointers from some amazing authors. I plan to eventually go back and rewrite/edit the first few chapters. However, it probably won't be until I finish it. I hope you'll bear with the first few chapters and that it does eventually become more enjoyable for you.**

"I still can't believe I'm gonna be going to Beacon Academy." I said as stared out the window of the airship. I was dressed in a black sweatshirt jacket with a red shirt underneath and dark gray pants with a monkey tail sticking out that was the same deep red color as my hair that went down to my back.

"Just remember I had to pull a lot of string to pull this off kid. You're lucky Oz and I have been through so much otherwise this would have been impossible. Especially since you've already missed the initiation ceremony." Said a tall figure with black hair and a white and gray shirt and black pants.

"I know and I really appreciate everything you've done for me Mr. Branwen I'll do my best to make you proud. I do have one question though. Since I missed initiation what team will I be on?"

"Oz will go through all that with you. Just do me a favor kid and keep quiet that you weren't actually accepted and got special treatment. Just act as if you were a last-minute transfer." I was about to answer but I was able to see Beacon and was in awe of how big it really was.

After we landed Mr. Branwen took me right to the headmaster's office. "Qrow it's good to see you again I assume this is the young man you spoke so highly of."

"Yep this is Crimson Vayr, Oz I really appreciate you still letting him join. I'll let you take it from here so I can get back to Signal." Qrow then hit the elevator button and left the office.

"Mr. Vayr" Professor Ozpin said as he leaned forward in his chair. "I understand you applied to multiple academies including here and weren't accepted to any of them. So, tell me why you had Qrow try so hard to get you into my school?"

I was so nervous I wasn't sure where to begin. I figured I should start with what made me want to be a huntsman in the first place. "I know I may not seem like much, but this is what I've always wanted. When I was a kid, I was picked on a lot in my orphanage for being a faunus. I ran away one day and got lost in a forest. I ended up face to face with an ursa. It went for a strike at me, but it was only close enough to catch my right eye with one of its claws. That's how I got this scar. I tried to run but the ursa was too fast. It was about to attack again when a huntress in white decapitated it. She took me to hospital and if it wasn't for her, I could have lost my eye or worse my life. From then I wanted to follow in her footsteps and become one as well. I know my transcripts may show that I shouldn't be here, but I promise I will work as hard as I can to prove I belong here."

Professor Ozpin just smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Well Mr. Vayr you do certainly seem to have the heart of a huntsman. I understand why Qrow pushed so hard to get you enrolled here. Unfortunately, because you missed initiation, you'll be added to an already formed team. You can choose between Team RWBY, Team JNPR, or Team CDNL. Once you choose, I'll have the team's leader come and show you to your room."

"Team RWBY seems fine. The name at least is like my own."

Ozpin smiled and began typing on his scroll "Very well I will have Ms. Rose meet you outside my office to show you to your room." He finished his message and handed me a scroll. "I'll have a uniform sent to your room and you'll start classes tomorrow. However, your room currently only has four beds in it we will get an additional one as soon as possible."

I gathered my stuff and headed towards the elevator. "Thank you again Professor Ozpin I promise you won't regret this." I entered the elevator and went to meet my new leader and as I'm going down it hit's me. "W-Wait did he say my leader was a g-girl... oh crap baskets."

I exited the elevator and luckily, she wasn't here yet. I was so nervous and was almost panicking. "I haven't even talked to a girl before and the leader of my new team was a girl. How could things possibly get worse' I thought as a voice came from behind me that made me jump

"Hey you OK? You look kinda sick." I turned around and saw a girl with black hair and a red cape.

"Umm... Y-Yeah... I-I'm j-just waiting f-for my new l-leader to..." before I could finish, she cut me off.

"Oh, you must be Crimson. I'm Ruby. Come on let's get you set up in our room. Just try not to puke on the way there. We already have one Vomit Boy we don't need two" she said with a small giggle after. I grab my stuff and start following her to our dorm. I started to calm down a bit when she mentioned Vomit-boy. I seemed to make a good first impression. Despite being incredibly nervous.

'At least I'm not the only guy on this team maybe this won't be so bad after all' I was thinking to myself.

We finally made it to our room and Ruby was about to open the door when a voice came from the room behind us.

"Hey Ruby, who's this" The voice came from guy with blond hair and a black sweatshirt covered by a chest and shoulder plates.

"Hey Jaune, this is our newest teammate Crimson Vayr. He transferred from Shade Academy. Is the rest of your team here?"

"Yeah if you want you can come in and meet them." I nod and walk in seeing a girl with red hair in red and gold on one bed polishing a shield. A hyper girl with orange hair moving like a flash (making it hard to tell what she's wearing) around a guy in green with black hair and a pink stripe in his hair begging for him to make her pancakes.

"Let me introduce you." Jaune said as he pointed to the girl in red. "Over there is Pyrrha." "Hello" Pyrrha said looking up quickly from her shield "The orange blur is Nora and the ninja is Ren. And I'm the fearless leader of Team JNPR Jaune."

"Didn't you panic during combat class today and end up on the floor?" Nora said finally slowing to a stop after Ren gave in to her. "I-I didn't panic I just umm... slipped." Jaune said trying to sound convincing.

"Sure. Anyway, Crimson we should probably get you set up." Ruby said turning to head towards our room.

"Y-Yeah nice meeting you guys." I waved and followed Ruby.

We walked out and Ruby already had the door to our room open. We walked inside and I was surprised. On one side of the room one of the beds was hanging over another by a sheet and rope. On the other side of the room the beds were separated by a stack of books on each post. A girl with a black and white top and black hair with a bow on top is on the bottom bed reading. Something seems odd about her, but I can't quite tell what it is.

"Hey Blake, where are Weiss and Yang?" said Ruby.

"Yang went to the training room for a bit and Weiss went to the Library." Blake said without even looking up from her book.

"Alright this is our newest teammate Crimson." Blake finally looked up from her book and smiled.

"Nice to meet you. Just a warning watch out for Weiss. She acts like quite a princess or I should say heiress." my nervousness started to grow again.

"Umm Thank you and it's n-nice to meet you." 'Three out of four girls well at least there is still Yang he must be Vomit Boy.' I thought to myself while setting my stuff in the corner while Ruby and I unpacked.

"Yang and Weiss should be back soon I messaged them to head back for a team meeting." said Ruby jumping up to her bed. I nodded and sat in the corner and started reading an X-Ray and Vav comic. After a bit a girl in a white dress walked in.

"Alright Ruby what's so important?" Blake still reading pointed over to me.

"Weiss meet the newest addition to Team RWBY." Ruby said jumping off her bed.

"Nice to meet you I'm Weiss Schnee." I got up to shake her hand.

"N-nice to meet you Ms. Schnee I-I'm Crimson." Weiss was a little surprised with him.

'Something seems odd normally a faunus wouldn't be polite and up front with me. He also seems to be kinda nervous. "I can't help but notice we still only have four beds and five people." Weiss said heading over to her bed to study.

"Professor Ozpin s-said that he will get another bed in here as soon as possible. I-I can take the floor until then it's not an issue." I said going back to my comic. 'Schnee... Schnee why does that name sound familiar.' After a bit another girl came in with yellow hair and a yellow shirt.

"Hey Rubes, what's up" she jumped up on her bed and saw me in the corner. "Who's the kid in the corner?"

"That's our newest teammate Crimson." Ruby said. "Oh cool, now here is no question who the best team at Beacon is going to be! Nice to meet you I'm Yang. I'm Ruby's big sister."

"N-n-nice to meet y-you. Umm... I'm uh C-Crimson." 'Crap Baskets!' I went into panic mode 'I thought I had at least one guy on my team. I'm the only one. OK deep breath I need to try to calm down.'

"Hey Crimson, you OK?" Yang said and she got off the bed. At this point everyone looked over at me looking concerned.

"Umm uh y-yeah I-I'm um... Excuse me." I got up and headed out the door. "I need to find a place to calm down." I walked around until I found myself on the roof. I let out a huge breath. "OK I need to get a grip before I make myself sick." I pulled out my mp3 and put my headphones in. I closed my eyes and put my hands together and started to glow white.

 **(Weiss' POV)**

"Anyone have any idea what just happened?" Yang said looking at everyone.

"Well when we were walking here, he did seem really nervous." Ruby said "I thought it was just because he was new here. Maybe there is something else wrong with him."

"He did seem to get more and more worked up after everyone came in. Maybe he has Claustrophobia or something." Blake said standing up.

"I'm worried about him maybe we should split up and look for him. Ruby said jumping back down.

"As much as I hate saying this. Your right Ruby he's our newest team member and we need to watch out for each other." I said getting up. "If you find him message everyone else and we'll meet up." We all head out the door and I headed for the roof. As I got closer, I could hear someone. I looked around the corner and I could see Crimson. 'He's singing and he doesn't look anything like he did a few minutes ago.' I thought as I watched on.

 **(Crimson's POV)**

 **(Cue If Today was Your Last Day by Anna)**

'I have a feeling I'm gonna be up here a lot.' I thought. I heard someone clapping from behind. I turned around and saw Weiss.

"That was amazing Crimson." I simply smiled and turned back around and leaned over the wall.

"Thanks, it always helps me calm down when I start panicking." I said

"You seem fine now that song must work wonders for you." Weiss said as she walked up beside me.

"It's not just the song I also have my semblance activated. It masks my emotion of fear. It also gives me a strength boost and an Aura boost. If I wanted to, I could jump off and still have half my Aura left."

"You won't actually do it right? Everyone is worried enough as it is." Weiss said with a look of concern on her face. I gave a small laugh.

"Considering I have no fear right now it is tempting. But no, I wasn't going to. Knowing my Aura, I've never had thoughts like that. Unfortunately, I have to manually activate it unless it's triggered by anger. Not to mention unless I deactivate myself it only lasts an hour. It's not easy to focus on it when I start panicking. And I don't like relying on it. I only try to use it when my stress level gets too high for me. So, I try to find other ways to calm myself. Music is the best way I've found so far. Even better when I can sing."

"If you don't mind me asking. Blake said that when each of us entered the room you seemed to get more and more worked up. What happened?" I gave a short chuckle

"As crazy as it sounds, I get incredibly nervous around girls. So, imagine when I saw each of my teammates was a girl."

"I understand why you ran so suddenly." Weiss said sounding sympathetic.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I've never met a faunus like you. Most of them take one look at me or hear my name and insult me almost instantly."

I look over confused at her and said "Well I don't know what your name has to do with it, but I try not to judge a book by its cover. And with how this conversation has gone I don't seem to have any issues with you." Weiss was the one who was confused now.

"Weiss Schnee heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. The biggest supplier of dust in Remnant?" It finally clicked in my head.

"That's why the name sounded familiar. Cool." Weiss was even more confused now.

"So, you know who I am and still have no issues with me?" I shook my head and looked at her.

"Like I said I try not to judge a book by a cover. I know the Schnee Dust Company has been known for mistreating faunus. However, think about this. You took the time to continue talking to me. And you seem to be showing emotion and care for me as more than a teammate. I can tell because I've noticed the fluctuation in your voice. If it was only as a teammate, I can't see you putting this much effort and you probably would have just yelled at me as soon as you found me instead of waiting till the end of my song. Sorry if this strikes a nerve but while your family is unfortunately known for mistreating faunus you don't seem to live up to the rumors." Silence fills the air as we both look up at the sunset.

I think I saw a tear in Weiss's eye when she finally spoke. "I appreciate everything you've said, and I'm not upset. While I haven't generally thought highly of the faunus with everything they put my family though. Making a difficult childhood for me. I don't want the Schnee name to be remembered by his actions since he took over." I put my hand on hers. "Thanks Crimson you'll probably hear this from the rest of the team but were all gonna be here for you. I know it probably won't be easy but if you have to at least take one of us with you before you run off."

I smiled. "I'm sorry and I'll do my best. Although I think I've already decided this is where I'll end up if it gets to bad."

"We should probably head back I'm sure everyone is gonna be upset with both of us. I was supposed to contact them when I found you. Are you sure you'll be okay?" I let out a sigh.

"Probably not but I don't have much of a choice. Plus, I'll never get better if I don't deal with it." As we start walking back Weiss sent a message to our teammates saying we were on our way back.


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss and I were the first one's to get back to the room. After getting back I deactivated my semblance and sat back in the corner and picked up my comic again."So you said that song always help you calm down can you explain what you meant by that." Weiss said sitting on the edge of her bed looking towards me.

I took a deep breath before speaking. "Every time I hear it I think to myself if my life was really to end soon would I be happy or would I have a bunch of regrets. There are so many things I would like to do in my life. The biggest being to become a successful huntsman."

Weiss was about to say something when the door opened and Ruby Yang and Blake all came back at the same time. Ruby sat down next to me while Yang and Blake sat on Blake's bed.

"You OK Crimson? We were all really worried about you." Ruby said in a calm voice.

"Y-yeah I'm better now. I s-suppose I should explain. Back at Signal Academy I was felt like a background character. A silhouette. Just another minor character that no one paid attention to. I didn't have any friends." My voice kept getting softer and quieter. "My tests were always good but when it came to combat I was only average. With the lack of friends I couldn't learn any social skills and before coming here I hadn't even talked to a girl before. So when I found out that all of my new teammates were girls I went into full panic mode. T-then when everyone started staring at me I-I ran."

I couldn't speak anymore I had tears starting to form in my eyes. I felt Ruby put her arms around me. "Were all here for you Crimson. Were a team now we all watch out for each other."

Yang and Blake had walked over. "I know what it's like to feel like an outcast. I promise we'll help you out in any way we can." Blake said putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Well all except maybe Ice Queen over there." Yang said with a smile pointing at Weiss.

"Hey! I'm willing to help out just as much as you. Weiss said with anger in her voice.

"Easy Weiss I know that I'm just trying to lower some of the tension." Yang said

"T-thanks everyone I really do appreciate this. I'll be fine I-I just need some time to adjust." I said looking at everyone with a small smile.

"It's getting late we should probably get some sleep." Blake said heading over to her dresser to grab her pajamas.

"Y-yeah I'm exhausted after all this." I said pulling out my mp3 again. Everyone took turns changing in the bathroom and I was the last one. When I came out Ruby was sitting in the corner I had previously.

"Go ahead and take my bed for the night and don't try fighting it. It's an order from your leader." Ruby said with a big smile. As much as I wanted to argue I just smiled and nodded. I climbed up and got under the covers and we all said good night.

The next morning didn't have the best start. When I woke up I was still half asleep. I went to get out of bed and fell face first on the floor. "Please tell me no one saw that." I said without even moving.

"Yeah we all did but the more important question is are you hurt." Yang said jumping down to help me up.

"Well I'm starting the day off by shattering my pride with my whole team to see. Not the best start but after yesterday I'd say not the most embarrassing either." I said looking at everyone only to see Weiss holding back from laughing.

"Weiss! It's not funny he could have been hurt." Yang yelled

"N-no it's fine Yang I probably would have done the same thing if someone just randomly face planted right in front of me. I'm sure if you hadn't checked on me she would have as soon as she stopped laughing." I said before turning back to Weiss and smiling. "Right Ice Queen?"

Weiss looked like she wanted to be mad I called her that but she just smiled back. "OK I deserved that for laughing and yes I would have checked on you." Just then a knock came at the door. Ruby answered to see Team JNPR at the door.

"Hey is everything alright in here we heard a huge crash?" Jaune said looking into the room.

"Y-yeah I just got reacquainted with gravity." I said with a small laugh trying to hide my embarrassment. Jaune still looked confused "Ruby let me use her bed for the night since we're short and w-when I woke up I kinda sorta... face planted" Nora busted out laughing immediately.

"Nora that's not funny." Ren said in his stoic manner "what if Jaune or I had done that." That only made her laugh harder.

"I-it's fine Ren. Weiss did the same thing and even though it was extremely embarrassing I'm not upset. Like I told them I probably would have done the same thing. Besides other than a shattered pride I don't seem to be hurt."

After team JNPR left I got ready for the day. We all headed down to breakfast and aside from Nora still laughing it was a pretty uneventful day. Professor Port had a long story from his youth and I'm pretty sure he forgot he was supposed to be teaching. Professor Oobleck was taking and moving a mile a minute and I had a little trouble following him. Professor Goodwitch's class was the most eventful part of the day.

"Student's today we will be having one on one fights. Staring off we will have Lie Ren versus Crimson Vayr." Professor Goodwitch looked at me and seemed to be angry with me already.

Ren and I headed to our lockers and grabbed our weapons and got in our combat attire. "So does she always have that icy stare or did I already screw up?" I asked Ren before heading out.

"I'm pretty sure she always look's like that." Ren said with what I think was a small smile.

We got back to the classroom and prepared for the fight. I looked around and saw everyone staring at me and Ren. I almost froze when before I heard Yang start yelling. "You got this Crimson! Show them why Team RWBY is the best!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. 'OK time to prove I belong here.' I thought to myself. I pulled out my weapons. Two black swords with red trim on the handles. I pushed the button on the hilt and they switched to SMG's. I loaded them with one clip that contained flame dust and the other with ice dust. I heard Ruby squeal when she saw them transform. I think she may have even started drooling.

Once Ren and I were ready we took our stances. Professor Goodwitch gave us our cue to start. I began firing at Ren and he slowly began closing in firing right back at me. I switched one of my guns back to its sword mode as he got closer. Our blades clashed multiple times. I used my tail to grab his leg and trip him off so I could gain some distance to start shooting again but he was right on me. Our Auras were both a quarter gone with him having a slight advantage. Ren got in close again and was able to knock the SMG away leaving me with my one sword. I was able to deflect most of his strikes but he was chipping away at my Aura to fast. I needed to get my other weapon I jumped back and swung my sword at the ground. My sword ignited in fire and I squared up with Ren again. Slashing away until I was able to get back to my SMG. I picked it up and flipped the switch on the side and began firing at Ren's feet freezing them in place. Red stabbed at the ice freeing himself but by then I had fired enough rounds knock his Aura down considerably. Ren closed in again and our blades clashed again before we both jumped back. Both of us were tired by this point. We saw that both our Auras were close to red. The next hit would end it. We both aimed at each other and fired. Our Auras hit red at the same time.

The classroom lit up with applause. Ren and I walked up to each other and shook hands. Professor Goodwitch seemed very impressed with our match. "Excellent both of you. Next we will have Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester." The four of us all headed to the locker room and changed. As we were heading back Cardin pushed Jaune into a locker knocking him over. I looked over to Ren and he simply shook his head. Jaune got up and headed out.

"Is he gonna be alright Ren?" I said with concern.

"This has been happening since we started. Jaune is a leader and needs to learn to fight his own battles. I don't like standing by either but he can never get stronger if were always babysitting him. I'm sure that's something you can sympathize with." Ren said with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah I can but doesn't everyone need a little help once in a while too?" I said as we started heading back.

"While you are correct. Some people are a little more stubborn than others." Ren said as we entered the classroom.

I sat down with my team to see that Jaune's Aura had already dropped to half while Cardin's was still full. As I watched on I couldn't help but feel bad for Jaune he was pretty much being thrown around like a rag doll. 'I feel bad for the guy but it almost seems like he doesn't have much skill either.' I thought as the match ended with Cardin not even braking a sweat. The bell rang shortly after.

"Class dismissed we will continue tomorrow." Professor Goodwitch said. I felt her gaze on me the entire time.

We all got together for lunch and I saw Cardin attack Jaune again. I'm not sure anyone else did though cause they seemed involved with a crazy story Nora was telling with Ren correcting her a lot. Jaune sat down looking clearly upset. Everyone slowly started noticing.

"Jaune are you OK?" Pyrrah said showing concern for her teammate.

"Huh. O-oh y-yeah I'm fine why?" Jaune said not hiding it at all.

"Cause you seem a little... not fine." Ruby said also showing concern.

"Guy's I'm fine see." he said faking a smile. Before looking over to Cardin who's team was surrounding a rabbit faunus.

"Jaune Cardin has been picking on you since the first day of school." Pyrrha said her concern growing.

"Who Cardin Winchester? He just like's to mess around. Its no big deal." Jaune said still trying to fake being OK. My anger is beginning to grow as I watched Cardin's team picking on her. While listening to Jaune pretend nothing was going on.

"He's a bully Jaune" Ruby said staring to get a little upset herself.

"Oh please, name one time he 'bullied me.'" Jaune said making air quotations. Everyone listed off at least one example.

"Jaune if you ever need help we will all gladly help you." Pyrrha said almost pleading for him to ask.

"Oh, we'll brake his legs!" Nora said with enthusiasm I agreed with.

"Guy's I'm fine besides its not like hes only a jerk to me." Jaune said getting up.

"Ow That hurts!" I could head the rabbit faunus yell as Cardin was pulling on her ears.

"I told you they were real." Cardin said to the rest of his team.

I began to glow white and stood up. Everyone looked at me confused what was going on. I walked up to Cardin and pulled his hair and threw him to the ground. I used my tail to pull her away from them. "Damn and here I was hoping that stupid hair of yours was fake. But unfortunately it's as real as your racism." I looked at the girl. "Are you OK miss?"

"Um.. Yeah..." She said still kinda scared.

I pointed over towards Ruby. "If you wouldn't mind would you please go sit over with them while I deal with this."

"Uh.. Sure.." she said walking away from Cardin.

"What the hell is your problem monkey boy! Mind your own damn business!" Cardin said getting back up.

"Well someone had to finally had to stand up to you. And since your hurting my friends it's become my business." I said looking back at him with a cocky smile. "Tell you what jackass I have an idea. Meet me in the training room after classes and we'll have a fight. One on One. If I win you leave Jaune, that girl and everyone else alone and stop being the biggest microcephalic addlepate in the school. And if you win I'll never try to stop you again and I'll give you five hundred lien." I pull it out to prove I have it. "So do we have a deal?"

"You don't know what your getting yourself into. You better not wimp out." Cardin said before he and his team left the Cafeteria.

I deactivated my semblance and walked back to our table. "So can anyone tell me what I just did." Hoping I didn't just do what I thought I did.

"Well to sum up you glowed white, threw Cardin on the ground, called him a big word none of us understood and challenged him to a fight" Nora said with a smile on her face. I'm not sure if it was cause I stood up to Cardin or because she wanted to see a fight.

"And saved me from him harassing me." The rabbit faunus said very quietly. "Thank you very much, I'm Velvet by the way."

"So I'll be the one to ask what was that word you called him?" Yang said temporarily chaging the focus of he conversation.

"Microcephalic addlepate I basically called him a moron in fancy words to confuse him. Although I have a feeling that wouldn't have been very hard to begin with." I said with a small laugh. "I assume you'll all be there for the fight? I don't want anyone to interfere I just want to make sure none of Cardin's team does."

"Of Course we will be you think we wouldn't wanna see him get his ass kicked!" Nora said more excited than anyone.

I smiled and looked back to Velvet. "I-I'd appreciate it i-if you would come t-too Velvet."

"Alright would it be OK if I brought my team with me?" She asked me seeming almost as nervous as me.

"Y-yeah sure no problem." I said before we all cleaned up before heading to class.

After class ended everyone headed for the training hall and began giving me a pep talk before Cardin walked in.

"Wow you actually showed up. Guess monkey's are that smart after all." Cardin said entering with his team following. "Remember when you lose I'll be five hundred lien richer."

I wanted to wait until Velvet's team showed up but Cardin was becoming impatient. I got my SMGs out and loaded them with lighting and fire dust ammo cartridge and got ready. Cardin took a few practice swings before taking his starting stance. As I did with Ren as soon as the fight started I began shooting at Cardin while he began charging at me. I activated the lightning dust on one of my guns and aimed for his mace. Cardin was electrocuted and stopped temporarily. I flipped the switch off and began firing normally slowly draining his Aura. Cardin regained his composure and charged again. Before I could counter her hit me hard with his mace and knocked me down as well as a good chunk of mu Aura. I got up and switched both of my guns to sword mode. And went on the defensive getting a few strikes at him. Unfortunately his strikes were doing more damage than mine. He went for a downward swing and I held it back with both my swords. I checked my Aura and saw that both of us were getting really close to the red. I pushed his mace back but he recovered quicker and hit me in the side again. Sending me across the room. I checked my Aura again. One more hit and I'm in the red. "Perfect." I quietly said to myself smiling. Cardin began celebrating early with his team. I focused and channeled my semblance while he wasn't looking.

"You really thought you could beat me. I'll give you one chance. Give me the lien now and I wont pound your face into the ground." Cardin said twirling his mace while he was strolling over to me

"You think your so tough." I said standing up faking pain. "How about we finish this like real men." I threw my weapons to the side and put my fists up. "Hand to hand."

Cardin laughed and set his mace down. "Alright I'll pound into the ground with my own hands."

He walked up and punched me in the face. However he was surprised when I didn't move. I laughed a bit "Please sir may I have another." I said with a big smile on my face

This only pissed Cardin off. He went to punch me again but I stopped his hand with mine and twisted it dropping him to the ground.

"What the hell was that I had this won!" Cardin said holding his wrist.

"Take another look at the scoreboard Cardin." I said grabbing his hair and forcing him to look.

"But you were about in the red. How could you be over fifty percent?" Cardin said in shock.

"See while you were over gloating I activated my semblance. I lose all fear and get an Aura and Strength boost." I let go of his hair and grab his arm. "Which lets me do this."

I throw him across the room and he slams into the wall. I placed my foot on his back and grabbed both his arms and started pulling them back with my tail wrapped around his neck. Cardin began screaming in pain. I eased up on it and looked to see Velvet did end up showing up.

"Velvet can you come here please?" I asked. Cardin's team tried to stop her but Ruby, Yang and Nora stopped them.

"Now Cardin is there anything you'd like to say to the nice lady?" I asked still holding him down.

"Go to hell." Cardin said trying to stay tough. I pulled again and wrapped my tail tighter.

"Sorry Cardin but I don't think that's what she wanted to hear. How about we try this again. Is there something you's like to say to her?" loosening the hold again.

"Fine! Fine! I'm Sorry!" Cardin said giving in to the pain.

"And?" I said ready to pull again.

"I'll leave you and everyone else alone." Cardin said clearly defeated.

"Good Boy. Velvet is there anything you'd like to say to poor Cardin here."

"N-no I'm good." Velvet said a little scared. "I-I think he's learned his lesson."

"As you wish m'lady." I released Cardin and he left with his team.

"Do you think maybe you went a little far there?" Weiss said as her and the rest of the group came over.

"Yeah I did but physical wounds can heal easy. Emotional wounds not so much. This way he will either be to embarrassed to retaliate and hold to his word. Or he'll focus all his efforts on me." I said firm in my words.

"Don't give him to hard of a time." Said a girl with a brown beret and top with sunglasses on. "He's right a guy like Cardin wouldn't have just let it end if he would have just beat him. The humiliation hurt him in his biggest weakness. His pride and manliness. Without that he's nothing. It's the same as in a real combat situation. You need to know where to hit your opponent where it hurts. Whether that be Grim or bullies" She walked up to me and took off her sunglasses. "He's got the true heart of a huntsman." She held out her hand. "Coco Adel. Leader of Team CFVY."

"Crimson Vayr and thank you." I said as I shook her hand.

I deactivated my semblance and we all talked on the way back to our dorms. Most of them agreed with what I did after Coco defended my actions. I also clarified that wrapping my tail around his neck was more for a psychological effect and that I didn't use a lot of pressure. The only one's who were still didn't fully agree with what I did were Nora, Jaune, and Velvet. Jaune thought I did it because he wouldn't. I tried to reassure him multiple times that wasn't the case but I don't think he got it. Coco said Velvet appreciates it but she's just really nervous around new people. The only reason Nora didn't agree with it was cause she thought I should have crippled him. I assured her if he tried to continue harassing people I'll hold him down and let her break his legs. Coco wanted his arms.

When we arrived at the dorm we say there was an additional bed in the room and the bunk beds were fixed so they looked safer. There was a note on the pillow of the new bed. I picked it up and read it out loud.

"To the members of Team RWBY. We have added the additional bed for Mr. Vayr and while I am impressed with the resourcefulness and creativity of the bunk beds. I took the liberty of making them safer and less of a potential health hazard. Mr. Vayr after watching both your fights with Lie Ren and Mr. Winchester you have definitely shown you belong at Beacon academy and as Ms. Adel said you do show the heart of a true huntsman. Professor Ozpin."

"At least now I can sleep without the fear that Ruby's bed will fall on me. Weiss said half joking. No one but me laughed. After me and Weiss got odd looks for laughing everyone reorganized our stuff to accommodate the new bed.

"So Crimson you want my old bed and I'll take the new one?" Yang said laying down as if to already claim it.

"No thanks Yang I already face planted once I don't need to fall off onto you." I said going for one of my books.

"That was the whole point." Yang said smiling and winking at me.

"I-I think I'm g-gonna g-go for a w-walk. I'll b-be back s-soon." I grabbed my mp3 and left the room for the roof.

Weiss's POV

"Yang! What the heck was that for!" Ruby yelled at her sister."you already know he gets nervous around girls. Why did you do that!"

"Just a little joke I'll apologize when he comes back. Besides you have to admit it is kinda cute when he gets flustered like that." Yang said jumping up onto her bed.

"That still doesn't make it right Yang you should apologize now." Ruby said still mad at her sister.

"Alright I'll message him that I'm sorry" Yang said taking out her scroll. After she sent the message everyone realized I forgot my scroll.

I just sighed and grabbed it. "I think I know where he is I'll take it to him." I walked out the door and immediately headed for the roof. When I got there I saw him standing on the edge of he roof. I Ran over to him and pulled him down by his tail.

Crimson's POV

I got to the roof and pulled out my mp3 and turned it on. **(Cue Kiss of Death by Amalee)** I went for my scroll to message Weiss to let them know I was OK. Except I didn't have it. "Damn it." I climbed on the edge of the roof and looked up at the darkening sky. "Sure is beautiful out tonight and peaceful." I took a deep breath and let it out letting myself slip into my music until I felt someone pull me down by my tail. I fell on top of them and we both ended up on the ground. I took my headphones out and saw Weiss walking over to me. As soon as I got up she slapped me as hard as she could.

"Start explaining right now! You said you never had thoughts like that and the second time I find you up here your standing on the edge!" I was about to explain but she cut me off again and it looked like tears started forming in her eyes. "It was one stupid joke. I can't believe you. Did you think how it would affect Me I-I mean your teammates?" I stood in silence until I knew she was done. "Well?"

"I'm really sorry Weiss. I promise you I wasn't thinking that I know it was a joke. By the time I got up here I was more upset that I let it get to me that much. The four of you mean a lot to me especially you." Weiss was taken back by what I said. "I feel like your the first real friend I've made since I got here. You let me pour everything out to you even though you had only knew me for a couple hours. I swear to you. I was even about to message you to let you know I was OK but I forgot my scroll in the room. Once my song was over I was gonna head back."

Weiss's crying had let up a bit. "Then why were you on the edge of the roof?"

I held up my tail. "I'm a monkey faunus I like climbing."

"You swear that is the truth? Look me in the eyes and tell me that it is." Weiss said still clearly upset

I walked closed to her and looked her in the eyes. "I promise Weiss I am so sorry for making you worry like that." Weiss wrapped her arms around me tight. I wasn't sure what to do so I just stood there. "Not that I'm complaining but why did you follow me up here anyway."

Weiss realizing what she was doing stepped back and straightened herself out. "O-oh right. Ruby yelled at Yang to apologize so she was gonna send you a message." She pulled out my scroll and handed it to me. " And as you already realized you didn't have it. After our last time up here I figured this is where you'd come so I thought I'd bring it to you.

I looked at my scroll and saw there was a message from Yang. "Hey sorry bout the falling joke was just trying to tease ya. If you want this weekend we can head to town n I'll teat you to a banana split lol"

I showed the message to Weiss. "Are her jokes always this lame?" Weiss laughed

"Wait till she starts making puns then you'll really start to cringe." We shared a small laugh. "We should probably start heading back before they get the wrong idea. Let's just keep this event to ourselves. And next time to save someone a heart attack please don't stand on the edge of he roof again." I agreed and we began heading back.

'Why did I specify myself when I was yelling at him. And why did my heart skip a beat when he said how much I meant to him. I even hugged him like I almost lost him.' Weiss thought to herself on the way back. 'It was probably just heat of the moment I'm thinking about it to much'


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up I saw that I was the only one awake so far so I went to the bathroom and got ready for the day. When I got done I had barely gotten out of the bathroom when I felt a small gust of wind hit me and saw rose petals on the ground.

"She really had to use the bathroom" Yang said jumping down from her bed to get ready when Ruby was done.

After we were all ready we headed down for breakfast. Jaune seemed to be a little distant this morning but I figured he was just still tired. Classes began same as any other day. Professor Port had one of his famous storied no one paid attention too. I don't think he notice either.

Professor Oobleck went a mile a minute about the Faunus War. He asked if any of us have been discriminated against for our faunus heritage. Me, Velvet and a few others raised out hands. Jaune fell asleep and was singled out to answer a question after Cardin woke him up. He got it wrong. Cardin was asked his thoughts on the question and gave a racist comment. I simply reminded him that he was beaten in battle by a faunus recently. Cardin and Jaune had to stay after class.

Combat class was the most entertaining part of the day. Weiss square off against Dove and Nora fought Yang. Dove went down quick. But by the time Nora and Yang finished all the students were up against the back wall because they had destroyed the entire classroom. Between Nora being... well Nora and Yang's semblance activating after Nora pulled a strand of hair from Yang. I'm not sure but I think she did it on purpose. The match ended in a giant ball of pink smoke when Yang shot at a grenade Nora had just launched. Nora won and began dancing around singing "I'm queen of the castle" After Professor Goodwitch put the classroom back together she explained that tomorrow we would be going into Emerald Forest to gather sap for Professor Peach.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful except that after the Cardin incident Velvet and her team began sitting with us at meals. I think Jaune is still upset with me over the Cardin situation. He wouldn't speak to me all day and seemed more down than normal. I tried to talk to Pyrrha and she was just as clueless as I was. I decided to go to the training hall just for something to do making sure I had my scroll with me this time. When I got there I saw Coco and Velvet sparing with each other.

"Hey girls how's it going?" They both stopped and looked over to me.

"Hey Freshman just figured we'd get a little sparing in. Don't want to get rusty." Coco said walking over towards me. "So think you can take me on?"

"Coco that's hardly fair you're a second year you've got more experience than him." Velvet said almost concerned.

"You just want a shot at him yourself don't you Vel?" Coco said almost challenging her teammate again.

"H-hold on I'll spar with both of you if you want. Just flip a coin or something to see who goes first." I said to them both. They flipped a coin with Coco being the winner. As we took our places I loaded the fire and ice dust ammo cartridges into my guns while Coco turned her handbag into a minigun.

"Well. Shit." I said immediately switching my guns to sword mode.

"Don't you know the old saying never bring a sword to a gun fight." Coco said a little impressed.

"SMG versus Minigun I think im a little outmatched anyway so why not."

"You got guts kid I'll give you that but I'm not but if its confidence or stupidity influencing you." she said smiling.

I began rushing her trying to get as close as I could while the gun was winding up. I dragged my blades along the ground as I ran to ignite the dust in them. Once the gun bean firing I began circling her slowly trying to close in. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough and the rounds began catching up to me. I jumped and began running the other direction trying to close the gap again. After trying this a few times she caught on and was able to hit me with quite a few rounds. This time I jumped and was able to get right up to her and slashed at her Aura and did considerable damage. Coco switched back to her hand bag to deflect my sword strikes. I switched my ice sword back to its gun mode. I kept slashing with my sword while firing rounds at her after she would deflect a strike. After a few min of this her Aura had hit red and mine wasn't far behind.

"Damn kid I'm impressed." Coco said shaking my hand. "Think you'll still be able to take Velvet on?"

I focused and activated my semblance. "Take her on hell yeah. Winning is another story."

However this match is gonna be a little different. As a huntsman you need to be prepared for anything. With this match no weapons will be allowed. Hand to hand combat only." Coco said taking my swords from me.

"Alright that sounds reasonable." I said standing across from Velvet. "Whenever your ready."

Velvet was very quick in her strikes. I tried to block but to many of them got through. I was able to sweep her leg but she recovered and hit me with a drop kick. I got up and was able to tackle her down but she was able to use my momentum against me and push me off with her legs. I was able to strike her leg and knock her down temporarily. I went for a punch but she was able to block it and hit me hard with one of her own. By the time I recovered she hit me with a roundhouse kick and knocked me back to the ground.

"Alright Velvet that's enough." Coco said walking back over to us and handing me my weapons.

I looked at my Aura and saw I was red while Velvet had barely lost any. "Dang Velvet if your that strong why did you let Cardin harass you like that?" I said smiling at her.

"Vel's really shy so she has a hard time interacting with others at times. It took her a few months before she finally warmed up to us. Once she's in the zone though she's an ass kicking machine." Coco said trying to embarrass her teammate.

"T-that's a bit of an exaggeration d-don't you think? I-I'm sure it would have been a lot closer if he was at one hundred percent." she said nervously.

I shook my head. "Not by much. after I activated my semblance I got an Aura boost and a strength boost. And was fighting like I was at that point and you still overcame it. With no trouble."

"T-thank you." velvet said blushing.

"Well it's getting late we should all probably head back and get some sleep. Good work Freshman I'll be looking forward to our rematch." Coco said leaving before turning around and winking at me. Now I was the one blushing.

I headed back to the dorm to shower and get ready for bed. When I entered everyone else had passed out except Weiss who was sitting at one of the desks with a lamp on.

"Weiss? Why are you still up?" I said getting my stuff ready to shower quick.

"I just wanted to get a little extra studying in tonight. And I may have been a little worried when you hadn't gotten back yet." she said with a hint of sadness and relief.

"I appreciate your concern Weiss but if you were that worried why didn't you just message me?" I said standing at the door to the bathroom.

"I-I don't know I just didn't..." she said with the sadness in her voice growing.

"Let me shower quick in you wanna talk for a bit we can." I said before walking into the bathroom.

I finished up and saw Weiss sitting on her bed with the lamp turned off. I walked over and sat next to her. "So what's up? You look like Ruby after she runs out of cookies."

"I'm not sure. I've had so many thoughts going though my head lately I'm not sure what to think right now." Weiss said looking down.

"Weiss you don't have to deal with everything on your own. Like you told me were all going to be willing to help you. You just need to let us in." I said. "Can you please look at me."

She turned and I could see her holding back from crying. "I know I have friends now. But that's also the problem. I feel like I have less friends than I actually do. I know I can trust you. But I don't know about anyone else for sure yet. I feel like I just keep getting on everyone's nerves."

"I can understand that I was alone for a long time. No friends at signal. Being singled out for being a faunus. But at least we have each other right? One true friend is better than nothing right." I said putting my arm around her.

"Yeah, your right thank you Crimson." Weiss said putting her arms around me.

"N-no problem Weiss." I try go get up but she wont let me.

"Can we just stay like this for a bit..." Weiss said almost pleading.

"S-sure." After I said that I felt her grip get a little tighter. We stayed this way for a few minutes. "Hey we should probably get some sleep."

"Y-yeah I suppose we should since we have that field trip tomorrow." Weiss seemed to get sadder when she said this. "Good night Crimson and thanks again"

'She seemed sad to let go of me. Could she.. no I'm just imagining things.' I thought getting into bed. I looked back over at her before trying to fall asleep. 'So why do I feel sad about it.'

The next morning I woke up late and had to rush to get ready. We were all sitting at breakfast and Nora was regaling us with another of her wild dreams. I got a message from Weiss asking to keep last night a secret from everyone else. I just nodded at her when no one else was looking. Since we had the field trip we got to skip all of our other classes for the day. We headed out to Emerald forest and I tried talking to Jaune again but he still seemed like he was trying to avoid me. Collecting the sap wasn't too bad. Except everyone kept getting after Nora for eating it at the same time. Suddenly a jar of sap hit me in the back.

"What the hell?" I looked where it came from just in time to see Cardin release a bunch of Rapier Wasps. "Really Cardin." I sighed and pulled out my SMGs and shot each one before they were able to get to me. "If that's his idea of revenge I guess there isn't much for me to worry about." I was about to put my guns away when a roar came from beside me. I got ready to fight until I saw what made the roar. An ursa emerged from the trees and had his sights on me. Flashbacks started running though my head. I dropped my guns and fell backwards. I laid on the ground frozen as the ursa approached. I closed my eyes and held my head.

Weiss's POV

"Crimson!" Jaune shouted

I turned my towards the shout and saw Jaune blocking an ursa attack with his shield. Crimson was on the ground holding his head. I was scarred immediately. Pyrrha, Ruby and I all ran over to the scene.

"Ruby go get Professor Goodwitch. Pyrrha and Weiss move crimson out of the way I'll hold off the ursa." Jaune told us pushing the grim back with his shield. Pyrrha and I picked Crimson up and took him over to a tree near everyone else.

"Pyrrha go help Jaune I'll stay with him." I said checking him over. I couldn't see any marks of an attack. He was still holding his head and his eyes were closed tight and he was shaking. "Crimson! Crimson talk to me please." I pleaded. Ruby had come back with Professor Goodwitch.

"What happened here? She asked kneeling down next to us.

"I-I don't know I-I looked over a-and found him in this state Jaune was standing above him stopping a grim from attacking him." I said still trying to get him to respond to me. Professor Goodwitch checked his pulse.

"His heart rate is to high. We need to get him back to the school ASAP." she began giving students orders to control the situation

I was scared and starting to panic. Then I remembered his music and started looking for his mp3 but I couldn't find it. I was freaking out more and more. Then I had an idea. I closed my eyes and started singing to him.

 **(Cue You'll be in my Heart by Phil Collins)**

Crimson's POV

The dark memories of that day kept replaying over and over in my mind. Getting progressively worse and worse. I could feel my breathing becoming shorter. My heart pounding in my chest. Slowly the darkness started lifting. I was starting to breath easier and my heart was slowing down. I could hear something calming but I couldn't tell what it was. I focused on the sound and it slowly became clearer. I slowly opened my eyes I saw a white figure in front of me "W-Weiss..." I said still trying to make the figure out. The details slowly becoming clearer. I could see Weiss on her knees in front of me crying.

"Crimson." Weiss said throwing her arms around me and crying louder. "I was so scared I was going to lose you."

"Professor Goodwitch it looks like he's calming down." A voice cried out.

I looked around and saw multiple people standing around me. Professor Goodwitch knelt down beside me and Weiss. "Ms. Schnee please move back for a moment." she said. Weiss let go of me and moved out of her way. Professor Goodwitch looked me over for a bit. "I'm not sure what you did Ms. Schnee but he's stable for now but we need to get him back to the school." Yang and Weiss helped me up and walked me back to the school.

"Weiss can you do me a favor." I said as they were picking me up.

"Anything." she said

"Can you sing that song again on the way back please." I said as we slowly started heading back. She nodded and began singing again.

We got back to the school and I was taken to the infirmary. Ruby got my mp3 player from the room and brought it to me. I fell asleep listening to it shortly after with my team in the room. I woke up and Weiss was the only one in the room with me.

"Hey Ice Queen." I said slowly sitting up. Weiss walked over to me and had me lay back down. She raised the head of the bed up slightly.

"Thank Oum your OK. I was so worried." Weiss said taking a seat next to me.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Only for a few hours." She said taking my hand. The doctor said you should be able to leave in a couple days but they want to keep you here just to be safe."

"What happened? The last thing I remember I had just shot a group of rapier wasps that Cardin used to try getting some revenge on me. After that it's a blur I think I remember you singing and crying but I'm not sure." After I said that her expression changed dramatically.

"I'm not sure what started everything but I heard Jaune yell out your name. When I turned I saw him holding back a grim with you on the ground holding your head. Pyrrha and I moved you while Jaune held it back." She said tears starting to form.

"Let me guess. It was an ursa." I said looking away. "It had to be."

"Yeah but if you don't remember how could you guess that?" Weiss said confused

I looked back at her. "The scar over my eye is from an ursa. I was attacked when I was a kid." Now the tears were coming from me. "Damn it. I thought I was over this."

"I'm afraid that's what PTSD can do to a person." A voice said before closing the door to my room.

"Professor Ozpin" I said trying to sit up again before Weiss pushed me back down.

"Ms. Schnee if you wouldn't mind finishing the story of what happened." Ozpin said sitting in a chair across the room.

"Ruby went to go get Professor Goodwitch and Pyrrha went to help Jaune while I stayed with you. You were breathing really hard heart was beating really fast. Your were shaking really bad and holding your head with your eyes closed tight. I was so scared of what was happening to you. I remembered you telling me about how music calmed you down the easiest so I tried looking for your mp3 player but I couldn't find it. I started panicking trying to figure out how to get you out of that state. I was worried if I didn't that you might not make it back. It finally hit me and I started singing to you. Slowly your heart rate started going down. Your breathing became less rapid. When you finally opened your eyes I was so happy." By now tears were streaming down Weiss's face.

"Sounds to me like you owe your life to Ms. Schnee. However Mr. Vayr I'm afraid we have a problem here." Ozpin said standing back up. "While I still believe you have the heart of a huntsman. You fighting skills are on par with some of our best students. However I'm afraid a condition like this will make it very hard to continue training to become a huntsman. I don't like saying this but there is a good chance you may have to leave Beacon Academy.


	4. Chapter 4

'Leave Beacon' was all I was able to think about after Ozpin had left the room. Weiss and I were both speechless. He gave me a week and if my condition didn't change I would have to leave. 'I finally made friends and was one step closer to realizing my dream. Now there is a chance all of it is going to be ripped away from me.' After what felt like an eternity in silence Ruby, Yang and Blake returned.

"Hey monkey boy your awake I got you a present." Yang said as she tossed a banana in my lap. I grabbed it and threw it back at her. Hitting her in the face. "What the hell dude it was a joke!"

"Do I look like I'm in a joking mood!" I yelled back. "I just got told I may have to leave Beacon!" Yang's rage was subdued but it was still there.

"What do you mean leave?" Ruby said confused what was going on.

"The short version I have to be able to take down an ursa without freaking out like I did in Emerald Forest. If I can't do that I have to leave." I said trying to get up again. Weiss tried pushing me down again but I pushed her away.

"Crimson you need to rest. You haven't been cleared to leave yet." Weiss said trying to stop me.

"I don't care. I'm going to the training hall." I said. Yang stood in front of me. "Yang move your not stopping me."

"The hell I'm not get back in bed." Yang said crossing her arms. "I get your upset over what you just heard, but going out before your ready is incredibly stupid."

"Crimson please, don't push yourself." Ruby said standing next to Yang.

"I'm fine. Now get out of my way." I said getting past Yang and Ruby. Before I got to the door Yatsuhashi blocked it.

"Yeah I don't think so." Coco said stepping into the room. "I'm not sure what kind of stupidity your planning and why your not in bed but your not leaving your room." Fox and Velvet entered shortly after Coco did. "Besides I want an explanation as to how the guy that took Cardin down with no issue. Took on me and Velvet impressively I might add. Ended up in this condition after a simple field trip."

I wanted to argue but I knew I couldn't get through my team and team CFVY. I took a deep breath and reluctantly went back to my bed. I told them about the ursa attack when I was a kid and how I froze when I saw the one in the forest and how all I kept thinking about was back then and how I Ozpin said if I can't find a way to improve my condition I would have to leave.

"Makes sense If that would happen on a real mission there is a good probability you would not come out alive." Yatsuhashi said.

"You said you thought you were over that before Ozpin came in. What did you mean by that? Weiss said

"Back in Signal I had another incident. I was training in a simulator against some grim. I fought beowolves, creeps, boarbatusk, even a couple beringel and of course ursa. Each time by the time the ursa came up I had my semblance activated. They were the only thing that ever broke through my semblance. Except instead of panic it caused anger. I killed multiple grim in that simulation both with and without my semblance. I thought since I was able to kill so many ursa I had gotten past it. Apparently I haven't." I said trying to hold back my anger at myself.

"Everyone has there demons Freshman. If you wanna become a Huntsman you have to be able to push them aside. Your issues don't matter to the people who depend on you to protect them. Look at Velvet you see how shy she is but she kicked your ass when it mattered." Coco said. I think that was the most encouraging insult I've ever heard. "Look around you kid friends and teammates don't abandon each other. You won't be leaving any time soon."

The next couple days seemed to take forever. Eventually Pyrrha, Nora and Ren came by and I explained the whole situation to them. Jaune never came by once. When I asked why no one was able to give me an answer. Ren offered to teach me some meditation and other techniques that may help if I start to feel panicked again. I accepted willing to try anything as long as I didn't have to leave Beacon. Ruby told me how they went into town to scope out the competition for the Vital Festival coming up. That they met up with a strange girl named Penny and another monkey faunus. How Blake ran away after Weiss and her got into an argument. Turns out Blake is a faunus and hides cat ears under her bow and that she used to be a member of the white fang.

I finally was released and immediately headed for the training room. I started up the simulator and started with creeps and beowolves to warm up. I moved on to beringel and deathstalkers. I was about to start on ursa but I was stopped by Pyrrha.

"Your not taking them on by yourself." She said holding me back.

"I can't have everyone holding my hand either." I said looking down.

"Alright but if anything goes wrong I'm canceling the simulation immediately. Is that fair?" she said backing away. I nodded. ""You can do it Crimson."

I took a deep breath and started the simulation. When it started an ursa was placed in front of me. I started freaking out. I closed my eyes and shook my head and began firing at it. I slowly opened one eye just to see if I was actually hitting it. I was but it didn't seem to be doing much. 'OK focus I can do this.' I took another deep breath. I switched to sword mode on both my guns and charged at it dragging my swords until they both lit up in flames. I began slashing wildly at it eyes once again closed. I wasn't sure how many of my strikes were hitting. I opened one eye again to see it in pain. I opened my other eye and was able to see the pain I had caused it. It slowly began to disintegrate and I was breathing really hard. I dropped down to one knee and Pyrrha ran over to me.

"That. Was a bitch." I said slowly trying to get back up.

"I think you should take a break. You've definitely made progress and by the end of the week you should be fine. Your still clearly shaken though so go back and get some rest." Pyrrha said helping me up.

"Thanks. Any word on Jaune yet? I asked her. She just shook her head.

"Any time your name gets brought up he acts like he didn't hear it. None of us can figure it out." She said worried

"Alright I'll deal with that later for now I need to focus on staying here." I said as we headed out of the training room.

The week went by faster than I thought it would. Every day after classes I would head to the training room and take on grim after grim. I was still struggling on the ursa but I was definitely improving. I was able to focus and think while fighting them and started fighting multiple at once. On the final day Ozpin called me into his office.

"Mr. Vayr I want to say you've recovered remarkably over the past week even if you pushed yourself harder than you should have. Unfortunately a simulation can only prepare you so much. That being said you and seven other students are going to be tested. These students are dropouts and transfers from other academies. The four students who succeed will become Beacon academy students. Normally I would have accepted them without a thought. However after your recent incident. I am reevaluating anyone attempting to join so as to hopefully avoid a possibly catastrophe."

"I understand thank you Professor Ozpin." I said

"Don't thank me yet remember you still have to compete with seven others. Head to Beacon Cliff and we will begin." Ozpin said leading me out the door.

I arrived at Beacon Cliff and saw the seven others. They all ranged from a mix of human and faunus.

"As your well aware you are all going to be competing for a spot at Beacon Academy. You will be launched into the forest. Once there you must navigate to the edge and collect a relic. The first four to obtain one will be accepted. Once a relic has been obtained it can not switch hands. Meaning even if you steal a relic from someone the person who first obtained it will be the one accepted."

After his speech we all began launching into the forest. I used a gravity dust in one of my SMG to soften my landing but I was immediately met with a small pack of four beowolves. I jumped towards one and blocked a slash with my sword before slicing its head off. I turned around in time to stab a second one but the third and fourth hit me hard. I was able to take them down but I had just gotten in the forest and had already lost a quarter of my Aura.

I began running though the forest trying to find the edge. I came into a small clearing that had two ursa and a ursa major. Before I was able to get away they spotted me and charged towards me. I jumped into the trees to avoid their attack. The ursa major took one swipe at the tree I was in and knocked it down. I barely had enough time to jump to another tree. I changed the cartridge in my swords to ice and electricity dust and switched back to the gun modes. I flipped the switched on both guns and shot the two smaller ursa with ice to freeze them in place so I could deal with the major. I shot a the major with both of my guns. Small ice shards were forming all over while it was struggling to move from the electricity. I switched my electric gun to sword mode. I stabbed the major causing the electricity to flow through out its entire body killing it. With the smaller ones still in ice I ran over and decapitated them both.

I jumped up and started swinging from tree to tree. The further I got I could hear voices. I got to the edge of the trees found the relics. Two of which had already been taken by a female faunus with what looked like dove wings and a guy with chains across his torso. I tried to jump from the tree but before I could someone grabbed my tail and yanked me to the ground.

"That relic is mine you stupid monkey." he said before taking off towards them. I got up and started running after him and before he grabbed it a girl in white sent him flying with a slam from her hammer.

"I really hate bigots." she said in a monotone voice. She looked over at me. "So you gonna grab this thing or are you just gonna stand there and let the next person." I walked over and grabbed the final relic. The first one to speak on the way back was the dove faunus. She had long bright blue hair and wore a blue tank top with a white skirt.

"This is awesome I got in. Not that I was really worried or anything but I did it. I'm Skyler by the way who are you guys? Where are you all from? I love making new friends and I just know well all be an awesome team together what to you think? I think we'll be the best..." She stopped taking when the girl in white covered her mouth.

"You talk to much. Name is Cerise. I'm from Haven." she said taking her hand away from Skyler's mouth. She had was wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a pink cutoff vest and a white skirt. She had pink hair that was just ling enough to be in a pony tail.

"Xana Scherr, Atlas." The final one spoke up. He had short green hair and was wearing a dark green tank top with chains running across his chest and black cargo pants

"I'm Crimson I was already accepted into Beacon but an incident happened that made it so I had to be reevaluated." I said trying to make that sound way less cocky than it did. Skyler lit up after hearing I already attended Beacon.

"You were already accepted? Cool what do the uniforms look like? What are the teachers like? How is the food? What do..." she was silenced again by Cerise

"One question at a time, and wait for an answer before asking another." she said removing her hand again. As we walked back I answered all he questions they had that I could except about the incident. They all seemed pleased with my answers except Cerise who kept a blank slate the entire time. After we returned Ozpin informed us there would be one final trial to be allowed in. A one on one fight against current students. We each had to fight a member of team JNPR.

"I want Jaune." I said as everyone looked at me.

"Let me guess you want t fight me because you think I'm the weakest don't you." Jaune said anger in his voice.

"No, I want answers. I wanna know why you've done nothing but avoid me and act like I don't exist since the Cardin incident." I said stepping towards him.

"I saved your ass when you freaked out in the forest." He said not moving.

"And I appreciated it not that you'd have known since you didn't come see me once when I was in the infirmary." I said continuing to walk towards him.

"Mr. Arc and Mr. Vayr I understand you have issues with each other but you will not start your fight in my office." Ozpin said as Ren and Pyrrha separated us. We went to the training hall and were split into our pairs. Pyrrha fought Xana and won with a fifth of her Aura above red. Xana's weapon turned out to be a pair of kunai pistols that he could attach to the chains on his torso to make a grappling hook. Ren fought Skyler and lost she used her wings to keep a high ground on him and used her semblance to reflect all his bullets back at him. Her weapon is a boomerang that splits in half to make two sickles. Nora and Cerise just kept hitting each other with their hammers until Nora hit her with a grenade. Cerise got a creepy smile on her face and her hammer changed into a buzz saw and she began swinging it at Nora while laughing manically. 'Note to self: DON"T. PISS OFF. CERISE!' Next up is me and Jaune.

"Professor Ozpin with all due respect Crimson has already fought Ren in the past why does he need to fight now. Pyrrha said trying to stop her friends from fighting

"Ms. Nikos I'm sure you'll agree that it wouldn't be fair that the others had to fight and these two didn't. Plus there is some clear tension here that will resolve in a fight sooner or later." Ozpin said watching as we got ready.

"Activate your Aura Crimson. I'm gonna show you I'm not as weak as you think I am." Jaune said unsheathing his sword.

"When did I say you were weak Jaune?" I said putting fire dust cartridges in both my guns.

"You didn't have to I know you've thought that since the day you fought Cardin." he said getting his shield ready.

"I told you Jaune that had nothing to do with you. Remember you weren't the one he was picking on that day." I said switching both my weapons to sword mode.

"I remember everyone talking about him being a jerk to me and how I should stand up to him. Then you got up and attacked him." he said getting in his fighting stance. "I told you to activate your semblance."

"Jaune he was bullying you and Velvet was being harassed. I jumped in because my anger activated my semblance." I said before activating my semblance.

"So now you're saying both me and Velvet are weak? You nearly killed yourself because you got scared of an ursa and dropped to the ground." He said the anger in his voice growing more and more.

"I'm not calling either of you weak Jaune given enough time I'm sure Cardin would have tried harassing me too. He's a racist asshole Jaune. Like I said before I appreciated the hell out of you saving me that day. You'd have known if you bothered to show up or ask about me at all. The entire time I was in the infirmary I kept asking everyone about you. I kept hearing that you acted like I didn't exist." I took my fighting stance.

Everyone looked on as we yelled at each other. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha were worried about what was going to happen. Xana, Skyler and Cerise were confused about what was going on.

Jaune rushed at me with an overhead strike that I blocked with one of my swords while he blocked my attack with his shield. "You're a coward and everyone loves you. I'm a coward and I get everyone's pity. Everyone sees me as a joke."

"You're not a joke Jaune. I thought you were my friend." I said blocking another slash from Jaune.

"So did I. But ever since you showed up all anyone cares about is you. What makes you so damn special." he said bashing his shield into me knocking one of my swords out of my hand.

"Jaune everyone still cares about you too. They've all been just as worried about you too." I said grabbing his shield with my tail and throwing it to the side.

"So that's why everyone kept ditching me to help you. You even got the Ice Queen falling all over you. Your just so damn perfect aren't you. You even tricked a second year team into bending to your will." He said wildly slashing at me.

I kept doing my best to block all his swipes but a few of them were getting though. "That's what friends do Jaune they help each other out when they need it."

Jaune backed off from his strikes. "So you finally admit you stepped in to "Help me."

"I keep telling you I didn't do it for you and if were not friends then why did you save me out in the forest?" I said throwing my sword to the ground.

"I did it because it was the right thing to do. I would have done the same thing for anyone. Ruby, Nora even Cardin." he said dropping his sword as well.

"Alright. Fine Jaune I was wrong I thought we were friends but apparently your just as much an asshole as Cardin is." I said picking my sword back up, switching it to gun mode and throwing it to Jaune. "But if you really think me not being here will change things that much then you have free range to send me packing." I turned around and held my hands out. "Take the shot Jaune show everyone here how much of a strong man you are."

Jaune took aim at me before looking at everyone watching. He saw Ren with a disproving look on his face. Nora was shocked to see what here friends were going though but was holding back tears. Pyrrha had turned away crying. "See they don't care about me all they care about is that I have the power to make you leave." Jaune said getting the shot ready again. Pyrrha used her polarity to take the gun away from Jaune and drop it. She then ran up to him and slapped him across the face before kissing him.

"Jaune none of us hate you or think of you any less. If anything were disappointed." Jaune was surprised at what had just happened. "It's like Crimson said we're all friends we all care about each other. No one has any pity for you."

"She's right Jaune think about it we've all known something was up from the start and we've all tried helping you out." Ren said joining in with Nora behind him.

"You kept pushing us away thinking were were all against you." Nora said. "Besides clearly Pyrrha cares about you. Can't really ignore a sign like that."

I walked over to Jaune. "I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression Jaune. I promise I wasn't trying to take pity on you. I didn't think I had to fight your battles for you." I extended out my hand to him, "I hope we can put this all behind us and try being fiends again."

He shook his head. "I'll accept that I was wrong about the Cardin incident and that my friends care about me more than I thought but I still don't like you and I don't respect you."

I put my hand down. Nora was about to yell at him before I stopped her. "That's fine Jaune. I'm sorry it turned out this way. It was nice knowing you guys" I walked over to grab my weapons and started heading out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mr. Vayr where do you think your going?" Ozpin said standing up.

"To pack my stuff." I said continuing to walk away.

"Don't you need to know where your moving them to first." He said with a smile.

"What do you mean sir?" I said as I turned around confused

"Crimson Vayr, Xana Scherr, Skyler Diischer, and Cerise Pierce. You all showed exemplary work today and are officially accepted into Beacon Academy. From here out you will be known as Team CCXS (Cross). Lead by Crimson Vayr"

"NO WAY!" Skyler said as she started flying around the room. "This is amazing! First a wild fight through the forest for a treasure hunt where I met my awesome future teammates. Then I got to be in a fight with a current student and won. Then I got to see an amazing fight that had drama and romance. And now I'm on the best team ever!" Skyler's wings started glowing pink and stopped moving. Causing her to crash into the wall.

"You really need to talk less." Cerise said glowing the same pink Skyler's wings did. Everyone was looking at her wondering what just happened. "My semblance is telekinesis."

"Excuse me Professor Ozpin I'm happy I get to stay but I pretty much surrendered in that fight." I said walking back towards everyone.

"While that is true its already known how well you do in combat. You've already fought Ren, Ms. Adel and Ms. Scarlatina. You were able to get a hold on your ursa situation. And I'm sure Dr. Oobleck would be very upset if I let one of his favorite students leave." Ozpin said holding his hand out to me.

I wasn't sure whether to feel happy about that last part or scared. "Thank you again sir." I said shaking his hand. "I can say that now correct?"

Ozpin let out a small laugh. "Yes, now I'll send you the information for your new room. I'll leave you to get your team settled."

After Ozpin left Nora ran up hugged me nearly squeezing the life out of me. "Yay he's not leaving us! Oh we have to celebrate. We'll get team RWBY and team CFVY all together with your new team and we'll throw a big..." Nora was silenced by Cerise.

"Seriously how many people here talk nonstop." Cerise said moving her hand again.

I gave a small laugh and looked over to Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune was clearly upset that I was staying and Pyrrha looked like she was trying to reassure him everything would be fine. "Oh hey I just thought of something. Let me be the one to tell team RWBY. Nora you and Skyler can set up a party." Nora and Skyler both saluted and ran out of the room. "I'm sure Ozpin will send the info to our scrolls soon enough so Ren if you wouldn't mind showing Xana and Cerise around the school. I'm sure Cerise could use a break from Nora and Skyler for someone a little more her... voice volume." Ren nodded and they walked out. All that was left in the room was Jaune, Pyrrha and me. "Jaune I would appreciate if you would come to the party tonight. If not to welcome me back to at least welcome them in." I turned around and started walking out.

"Crimson." Jaune said. I stopped at the doorway. "I want a rematch. One on one just you and me no one else."

I turned around. "Jaune I gave up you won."

"Exactly you gave up I want to know I can beat you fair and square." He said taking a step towards me.

"You already did Jaune. Look at the Aura levels." Jaune looked and saw he only lost a quarter of his Aura while I was on the edge. "One more strike I would have lost Jaune. Whether I gave up or not you beat me. You are strong Jaune. Maybe not the brightest at times but you have definitely proven yourself today. I was at my best and you beat me."

"I-I won." Jaune said dumbfounded.

"Yes and I'm so proud of you Jaune." Pyrrha said hugging Jaune.

"You've got a lot of heart Jaune. You're going to make a great huntsman and one hell of a leader." I said smiling as I walked back towards him. "However don't think I'm gonna let you stay ahead of me." I stuck my had out towards him again. "If you don't want to be my friend that's fine but as a fellow huntsman and new rival shake my damn hand."

Jaune looked at my hand for a bit and just as I was about to pull it back again he shook it. "Fine as fellow huntsman and rivals."

I smiled and started walking out again. "See you guys at the party."

On the way to team RWBY's dorm Ozpin sent me the info for our new room. I sent a message to Weiss telling her that I was staying but not to tell anyone else yet.

I got there and knocked on the door. Ruby opened the door and saw me with a sad look on my face.

"Crimson what happened." Ruby said concerned.

I looked in the room to see everyone else there as well. 'perfect' I thought to myself. "I got bad news. I have to pack up my stuff and move out."

"WHAT!" came from everyone in the room.

"But you seemed to be making such good progress." Yang said jumping down from her bed.

"I guess it wasn't good enough. Any chance I could get some help packing my stuff?" I said grabbing my bags. Ruby and Yang helped me pack my stuff up. "Well guess this is it. It was nice being a team with all of you even if it was only for a short time." I said standing at the doorway.

"So what time is the party" Weiss said as I turned around to leave.

"Seven thirty" I said turning back around with a huge smile on my face. Weiss and I burst out laughing while everyone else is confused.

"Will someone please tell us what's going on here!" Yang yelled to us.

"That's for the falling on top of you joke Blonde. I'm staying at Beacon." I said

"WHAT!" was again yelled from the three girls.

"Then why did we help you pack your stuff?" Ruby asked probably more confused than anyone in the room.

"Because you're looking at the new leader of team CCXS" I said putting my fists on my sides. "Tonight Nora and my new Teammate Skyler are throwing a party to celebrate. Just a warning Nora can explain better but whatever you do. DO NOT piss off Cerise. It's not pretty."

"I want to be mad at you but that was good." Yang said high fiving me.

"Thanks I'll see you guys there." I said heading back out.

"Wait, you mentioned Nora. Did you talk to Jaune yet?" Ruby asked worried at my answer.

I gave a deep breath. "Were not exactly on the best terms but we got some things worked out. He'll be at the party tonight if that makes you feel better." I said before walking away.

I got to my new dorm to see they were beginning to put their stuff away. "Look alive everyone as leader of team CCXS were gonna have some strict rule's" After saying this Skyler and Xana stood in front of me at attention. Cerise was still putting her things away. Skyler looked relaxed but Xana looked like he was taking what I said seriously. "Alright Xana calm down I was only joking. Cerise good job catching my bluff and Skyler thanks for playing along."

Cerise took out one of her headphones. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing important. Now big team decision time. Bunk Beds yes or no?" I said looking at everyone.

"OOOHH. YES YES YES YES!" Skyler said with lots of enthusiasm before being silenced once again by Cerise.

"It would add more space to the room." Xana said

"The room is fine the way it is." Cerise said continuing to put stuff away.

An evil thought came into my mind. "Alright you can sleep next to Skyler and wake up next to her every day." I said with an evil smile. 'I've spent to much time with Yang.' I thought watching a chill run up Cerise's spine.

"Bunk beds sound like a great idea." Cerise said trying not to show I got to her.

"Alright I'll let Ozpin know we'd like him to set up the beds like in team RWBY's dorm. Unfortunately it probably wont happen tonight so we'll have to do a temporary set up for tonight." I said starting the message to him.

Cerise walked up to me and grabbed the collar of my shirt. "Mine yours Xana Skyler." she said pointing to each bed right to left. Before going back to her stuff. I need to learn to take my own advice.

"So you guys pretty much know about my situation. Why did you guys come here?" I asked

"Haven was boring and the headmaster was a joke." Cerise said.

"How boring could it have been?" Skyler asked.

"The initiation was child's play compared to what Ozpin made us do. I may not have shown it but I've already had more fun here in less than a day than I did in all my time at Haven." Cerise said finishing putting away what she could.

"I came from Shade academy and man the rumors about them being laid back was far from the truth. I heard all these stories that since Shade Academy didn't have uniforms they were the most laid back school. They aren't strict on clothing but they are about every other damn thing. Daily room inspections drab meals. I couldn't stand it I heard from a few second years that Beacon was way more lax so I dropped out and re-enrolled at Beacon. Well not so much dropped out more ditched out." Skyler said sitting on the window looking outside.

"You think that's strict stay the hell away from Atlas. Its military and academy are one in the same. I grew up in a military family and hated it. I wanted the free life of a huntsman. I didn't wanna be told who, what, when, where and why my whole life. So first chance I got I requested a transfer out. Ironwood and my parents made it nearly impossible, but I managed to get out." Xana said collapsing on the bed Cerise picked out for him.

"So how many people are coming to this party you set up." Cerise said picking out a book to read

"Well Teams JNPR, RWBY, and CFVY makes twelve and I think Blake said she was bringing a friend they met last week and one of his teammates so at least fourteen." I said pulling out one of my comics.

As if on cue a knock came at the door. I got up to answer it but Skyler beat me to it nearly knocking me over. She opened it to see team JNPR and RWBY. They entered the room with a monkey faunus and a guy with blue hair following behind Blake. One had blond hair and a white open shirt. The other had goggles and a red suit jacket.

"Crimson this is Sun and Neptune. Their team is going to be competing in the Vital Festival." Blake said

"Nice to meet you Sun, I can't say I've ever met another monkey faunus." I said shaking Sun's hand. "Did anyone message team CFVY?" I asked looking to everyone

"They were sent off on a mission. With everything going on you must not have heard." Ruby said helping Nora set up drinks and food on the desks. I was a little disappointed but they'll find out when they get back at least.

"So where you guys from?" Yang said.

"Atlas." Xana said raising his hand.

"So you would be familiar with my sister Winter Schnee." Weiss said

"I heard of her but I never actually saw her." Xana said grabbing a People Like Grapes soda

"I came from Haven" Cerise said

"Really I don't think I remember you." Sun said

"You'll probably remember my old team. SCRM. (Scream)" Cerise said with a small smile on her face. Sun and Neptune turned white.

"That was the most feared team at Haven. Everyone was so glad when they all transferred out."

"That was the only thing I liked about Haven. Everything else was a joke." Cerise said

Skyler jumped up "I came here from Shade and before you ask the rumors are not true."

"Hey Crimson was from Shade Academy too." Ruby said looking over to me.

'Crap baskets.' I thought to myself.

"Huh? That's impossible he wasn't at the entrance ceremony." Skyler said confused

"Um.. Sure I was you probably just don't remember me there." I said trying to sound convincing.

"No I flew up to the rafters and watched from there. I looked over all the students trying to decide which ones looked interesting enough to try to team with. I never saw a monkey faunus with red hair. A red tail isn't something that can just hide easily." Skyler said growing more and more confused.

"Well.. about that.. you see.. um.." I tried coming up with an excuse but nothing was coming to mind and everyone's eyes were on me. I took a deep breath." Alright the truth is I didn't transfer from Shade Academy. I didn't transfer from anywhere. I wasn't accepted anywhere not even Beacon." everyone was shocked by this.

"Then how did you get into beacon in the first place" Weiss said looking angry with me.

"I begged a teacher at Signal to help me out. Not my proudest moment but I wanted to be a huntsman so bad. I even tried to forge transcripts before being caught by the same teacher." I said feeling ashamed of myself. The room was silent for a few minutes.

"I knew it was to good to be true." Weiss said quietly. She got up and slapped me before leaving.

"Weiss!" Ruby was about to go after her before I stopped her.

I put a fake smile on my face "Nora and Skyler put a lot of thought into this party you guy's try to enjoy it. I'll go find her." I said before heading out. I looked all over the school before getting a message from Cerise telling me to go to the roof. I got up there and saw Cerise standing a few steps away from the door to the roof.

"What are you.." She stopped me and pointed to the door. I walked over to see Weiss leaning over the edge. I started walking towards her.

"Go away Crimson." Weiss said without even looking.

"Weiss everyone's worried about you why did you storm off like that?" I asked

"Let's just say finding out the person I trusted more than anyone here hid something pretty important from me. I started wondering if he is hiding anything else from me." Weiss said turning around.

"Weiss I promise I'm not hiding anything else from you. I was asked to lie by Mr. Branwen." I said

"Why would a teacher ask you to lie?" She said crossing her arms.

"He didn't want it getting out that I got special treatment. I would have been singled out by the entire school if that happened." I said

"Why didn't you at least tell me the truth? Did you not trust me? Did you think I'd think any less of you? Were we not actually friends?" She said sadness in her voice slowly growing.

"Of course I trust you Weiss. You are the best friend I have here. I even owe you my life. I wasn't trying to hide it from you." I said slowly walking closer to her. "I didn't tell you cause honestly I forgot about it until Ruby mentioned it."

"Understand you've lost some of my trust. I thought we were at a point we didn't hide anything from each other. I thought our bond meant something. I'm not as upset that you hid this from me I'm more upset that you tried to cover it up in front of everyone." Weiss started walking away. "It's gonna be a while before I can fully trust you again." After she left I leaned over the edge.

"Damn it." I knew I messed up 'I wonder what everyone thinks of me now. If that hurt Weiss that much I can only imagine what everyone else thinks. I'm the leader of a team now and now I can't see them to have any reason to trust me.'

"Don't worry she still likes you." Cerise said leaning over the edge with me.

"I know. I can tell were still friends I just have to gain her trust again." I said.

Cerise looked confused. "Wait you two aren't together?"

"What are you talking about we were just really good friends?" I said confused

"The way she acted it seemed like there was more between you two." she said

"I have no clue what your talking about. As far as I'm aware we were just really good friends. Besides a Schnee having feelings for a faunus. I don't really see that happening." I said

"Don't be so sure. Just because I don't show emotions all that well doesn't mean I can't read other peoples. I'm sure if you'd ask her out she'd have said yes in a heartbeat." she said.

"Before tonight you mean." I said

"Nope. Pretty sure it would still be the same." She turned to look at me. "I saw a flier for a dance coming up in a couple days. Try asking her to it. If she says yes ask her out that night. If she says no then I'll sleep on the same side of the room as Skyler the rest of the year."

"You must be pretty sure of yourself if you're willing to risk that." I said looking back at her.

"There is no risk. You'll be dating by the end of the night." she said looking back out into the night sky.

"Well just in case how about instead of that. How about if she says no you have to come with me to the dance." I said seeing her face get red. "Before you try to kill me let me explain. I'll joke about it but I know it would be a huge loss in team moral if you were forced to sleep near to her all year. So instead I recommend a punishment that will only last one night." I held my hand out to her. "Deal?"

"Alright fine." she shook my hand. "I really can't tell if you like the idea of cheating death or your just stupid."

"We should probably get back to the party." I said starting to head back.

"It ended shortly after you left. Not sure what kind of affect you have on them but after you left they did too." She said following behind me.

After we got back to the room Skyler seemed really worried. "Did you find her? Is she OK? What happened?"

"Skyler calm down. Yes I found her she's fine. It's not something I wanna talk about right now." I said putting my hands on her shoulders to calm her down.

"I think we are entitled to a little explanation by now. All you keep saying is you don't wanna talk about it right now." Xana walked up to me. "I get that were new and you don't have a reason to trust us yet but your our leader. If you expect us to be able to work together and follow your word then you need to stop avoiding telling us important information."

He was right. If we were ever going to form a successful team we had to all be on the same page. With the Vital Festival coming up we had to step up quick. So I told them everything leading up to this point. Getting in to Beacon and the incident with Cardin that started Jaune's hatred of me. All the time I spent with Weiss, and how she saved me from giving myself a heart attack. Skyler thought she was in love with me too and was confused why she acted that way earlier. Xana and Cerise wanted me to introduce them to Cardin. Xana has a short fuse when it comes to girls getting picked on. Cerise just hates racist people. I told them I'd point them in his direction during Oobleck's class. After that we all decided to call it a night. 'Well tomorrow I ask Weiss to the dance. I still don't think Cerise is right but if she is maybe it'll help start fixing things between us.


	6. Chapter 6

When I woke up Skyler was gone. I checked my scroll and saw a message from her saying her and Nora got up early to head into town to find a dress for the dance. That reminded me I should probably go out and find a tux since it looked like one way or another I was gonna be going to the dance. Since Nora was up already I assumed Ren would be too. So I messaged him asking if he would go with me to pick one out. After a few min he said he would and that Jaune and him already planned to go later. He asked if Xana wanted to come too.

"Hey Xana Ren Jaune and I are going to go shopping for tuxes you wanna come with?" I said

"I already got a tux but thanks for the offer. I'm gonna go get some breakfast." Xana said heading out the door. Shortly after Cerise woke up.

"Morning sleeping beauty." I said immediately regretting my decision. She used her semblance to wrap my tail around my neck. "Got it not a morning person. I choked out.

"What time is it?" She said releasing my tail.

"Ten thirty." I said getting my breath back.

"So when do you plan on asking her?" She said rubbing her eyes.

"Probably Later tonight after Ren, Jaune and I get back from shopping for tuxes. Speaking of which do you have a dress or do you need one? I could probably see if Pyrrha would help you find one if you like." I said

"Why do I need one I'm not going?" she said

"In case your wrong and she says no." I said

"Even on the insignificant chance she does say no I don't need a dress my normal outfit will be fine I just won't wear the vest." She said.

"Alright if you say so."

"Besides I thought Jaune hated you why are you going shopping together? Did you guys fuck your problems out?" she said

"No! Him and Ren were already going I'm just tagging along. What the hell Cerise?" I said she just shrugged and got her clothes and headed for the bathroom.

I decided to take a walk around the school and met up with Sun and Neptune. Sun said he was looking for Blake while Neptune was just tagging along. Sun took advantage of the opportunity and ditched me and Neptune.

"Is he always like that?" I asked

"Ditching his teammates to go off on his own? Yeah pretty much." Neptune said crossing his arms.

"Alright fair enough. Well I got some time to kill before Ren Jaune and I head into town. Wanna hang out?" I asked him

"Sure why not What are you guys heading into town for?" he asked.

"Were going Tux shopping for the dance tomorrow night. You going?" I asked

"Um. Probably not it would be really embarrassing." he said as we started walking

"Dude your talking to the king of embarrassment and I'm going. what's your excuse?" I said

"I um.." was all I could hear other than some mumbling.

"You what?" I asked.

"I can't dance." He said stopping in place.

"And?" I asked

"And nothing I just can't dance." he said

"You realize most of the people who are going can't dance. Including me. It's just something fun to temporarily distract us from the fact the the world will one day rest on our shoulders. Who cares if you embarrass yourself. Most of the people there will. Besides if you turn a girl down for that stupid of a reason them you must be dumber than me." I said

"Did you just call yourself dumb?" he asked

"Not important. What is important is that I better see you at the dance." I said

"Alright you've talked me into it. Now the only issue is if a girl asks me out." He said as we started walking back to the school.

"Dude I doubt that will be an issue." I said checking the time. "Hey I gotta get going. I'm sure Sun is either at team RWBY's dorm or in the library." I said running off towards the air ships.

We were in town for about four hours. We got our tuxes fairly quick. Jaune got one with a yellow colored tie. Ren green and red for me. I noticed an arcade after we left the shop and convinced the two of them to go in. Ren was surprisingly good at most of the games. I challenged Jaune to a few two player games. A couple different shooters a racing game and a guitar game. Jaune beat me in the shooters but I beat him in the other games.

"Dude you really know your way around a gun. You almost seem happier with it. Why don't you use one as your weapon?" I asked him as we walked out.

"Not that it's really your business but my weapon has been passed down from my grandfather." He said

"Easy dude it was a compliment. I understand honoring your family. I'm just saying I think you'd be really good with a projectile weapon too." I said

"Whatever." He said. I looked at Ren and he just shrugged.

We decided it was probably time to head back. Soon after we got back I put my tux in my room and headed over to Ruby's dorm to ask Weiss to the dance. When I got there Ruby said that Weiss was in the library. I had just turned the corner when I saw Weiss and Neptune.

"So Neptune if you don't have a date to the dance..." was all I heard before I turned around and started walking back to my dorm.

I passed the training hall on the way and saw it was empty. I grabbed my weapons from my locker and fired up the grimm simulator. I probably went through thirty grimm before the simulator was turned off. I was out of breath and sweating like crazy. I checked the time and saw it was almost one in the morning. I decided it was probably time I should get some sleep. I put my weapon away and started heading back.

"Little late for a stroll isn't it?" Blake said walking next to me.

"I just had some things I needed to work out." I said.

"You OK? Your eyes look red like you've been.. Crying?" she said.

"Huh.. n-no I must have just pushed myself to far. What are you doing out this late?" I asked.

"I was working on some stuff in the library and lost track of time." she said.

"I thought it closed two hours ago?" I asked.

"It did and then I found you in the training room." She said showing she knew something was up.

"You watched me for two hours and didn't say anything?" I asked trying to redirect the conversation.

"Yeah I was gonna say something but I could tell you were fighting out emotions. So I decided to wait until you either passed our from exhaustion or calmed down enough to be able to talk." She stopped me from continuing. "So what happened?"

"I appreciate the support but it's nothing important Blake." I said trying to continue to my dorm.

"It's Weiss isn't it?" she asked. I stopped walking but I didn't turn around.

"What makes you think that?" I asked trying to hide she was right.

"Well after she walked out of the party last night after slapping you she has been acting different. Then I find you pushing yourself too hard the next night. We all know how good of friends the two of you are... or were. So what happened?" She asked.

"It's nothing Blake really I..." I turned around to see a stern look on her face. "Was gonna ask Weiss to the dance cause Cerise told me that she liked me. I was pretty sure she was wrong, and when I found out she was I guess I took it harder than I thought I would. Really I'm fine though was just my first rejection and I took it harder than I should have. I'll get some sleep and be back to normal in the morning. I promise." I said giving her a fake smile and a thumbs up. She clearly didn't buy it.

"Alright if you say so." she walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Just don't give up so quickly." She said before walking towards her dorm.

I got back to my dorm and saw Skyler and Xana were asleep but Cerise was still up. She had a lamp on and was reading in her bed.

"So how did it go." she asked without looking up from her book

"You didn't have to wait up for me you know." I said getting clothes to change in to after I showered. She used her semblance to pull me over to my bed by my tail.

"How did it go?" she asked again with a slight threat in her voice.

"I'm gonna get a shower I trained a little to hard today." I said trying to avoid the question.

"Fine. If you value your life you'll answer me when you get done." she said releasing my tail.

I tried to take as much time as possible in the shower to delay the inevitable. Unfortunately I knew I wasn't gonna be able to hide in here forever. I got out and walked over to our beds.

"So did you chicken out or did she reject you." She said still reading her book.

"She asked someone else." I said trying to hide my sadness.

"So you chickened out." She said closing her book and setting it aside.

"No I just told you she asked someone else." I said not wanting to go through this again.

"Did you hear him say yes?" she asked.

"No. I told him to though." I said.

"What do you mean you told him to say yes. Who was it?" she asked.

"Neptune. Him and I were walking around and he was saying he wasn't gonna go cause he probably wasn't gonna go cause he couldn't dance. I convinced him if someone asked him to accept. So I'm pretty sure he did." I said.

"Did you actually hear him accept?" she asked.

"No." I said.

"So as far as you know she's going alone." she said.

"No as far as I know she's going with Neptune." I said.

"So either you really are an idiot or you actually wanted to go to the dance with me in the first place. Not sure why you would want to go with me though." she said

"I think we already established I'm an idiot." I said with a weak smile

"True." She said getting ready to go to sleep.

"However at the risk of sounding stupid or death. I'm glad it's you I'm going with." I said getting ready myself.

"Why you hardly know me, Its not like I'm anything special anyway." She said. I think I detected a little sadness in her voice.

"Yeah we hardly know each other but your certainly not the worst looking girl here. Your actually kinda cute." I said

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm pretty sure your just saying that out of grief." She said trying to turn the lamp off quick before I saw her blush a little.

"Yeah maybe. Good night Cerise." I said

"Night" she said back as we both passed out for the night.

The next day everyone spent the whole day getting ready for the dance. Skyler offered to help Weiss and Yang decorate. Xana surprised us all when he said he was going with Yang. We didn't think he was going at all but somehow she convinced him yesterday. Cerise said she was gonna go read in the library till the dance. She figured since everyone would getting ready for tonight it would be a lot quieter in there. She said to go ahead without her and that she'd meet me there. Part of me wondered if that was an excuse to get out of going but I decided to let it go.

Xana and I decided to go early and see if they needed any last minute help. Plus since my date told me she'd meet me there and his was decorating we really had nothing better to do at the moment. I think he just wanted to see Yang though. When we arrived music was playing but we didn't see anyone else yet. Yang was standing by the doorway looking everything over before turning around to see us.

"Hey guys you know it doesn't start for another hour right?" She said

"Yeah but we decided to head over early and see if you needed any last minute help." I said before looking over at Xana. He looked like he turned to stone at the sight of Yang. "Hey Xana you OK?" I said waving my hand in his face. Yang started laughing and walked over to us.

"He's fine he's just never seen someone as smoking as me before." She said winking at him. He loosened up a bit but now his face was as red as my hair. "Anyway I don't think we need any help I'm pretty sure we got everything ready. Skyler made it go by much faster."

"Alright I guess I'll just walk around till it starts. Later guys." I said leaving Xana with his date.

After walking around for a bit I decided to head up to the roof to listen to music. When I got there Skyler was already there sitting on the edge.

"Shouldn't you be helping set up the dance?" I said walking up to her.

"I finished a while ago. I knew I'd be doing a lot of flying to help out so I came back to shower and actually get ready. Don't have a date but I really didn't expect to either. I doubt there are a lot of choices for me here. Not that that's an issue. I kinda prefer being alone sometimes."

"Why is that?" I asked sitting next to her.

"Well for starters look at me. Put a white dress on me and I'm pretty much a living angel. I got a lot of attention from guys growing up. It actually got really annoying. I like the idea of being free. Being able to go anywhere I want. That's why I wanted to be a huntress so much. I wanna travel and help anyone I can all over the world. If I did find anyone I'd want her to love the idea of constantly traveling around. I don't think I could find anyone who would be able to keep up with me. By the time I'm ready to slow down it might be too late anyway." She said staring into the sky.

"So I can assume after we graduate we wont be a team for very long afterward?" I asked.

"I can't really say right now. Don't be surprised if it happens, but you never know what the future can hold. Maybe something will change my mind." She said. We both sat in silence for a few minutes. "You, Cerise and Xana don't like me very much do you?"

"Why would you think something like that?" I asked confused.

"Cerise is always telling me I talk to much. Xana seems distant most of the time. You seem to get along with Cerise really well. So I assumed you feel the same way she does about me." she said trying to hold back her tears.

"Skyler I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. Your my teammate of course I care about you. As far as the others I'm sure they care about you too. I'm sure Cerise does like you in some capacity. It may not seem like it but give it time I'm sure you'll see it. With Xana remember he came from military. It's all he's known his whole life. He just needs some time to break out of that shell. I think tonight will help that a lot." I said

"Thanks Crimson. I'll see you at the dance." She said turning around and hoping off the edge.

"Wait did you say you wanted **her** to love the idea of constantly traveling around?" I asked curious if I heard that right.

She smiled and turned around. "Yep full lesbian. Sorry buddy not on the market if things don't work out with you and Weiss." She said before running back to the room.

I started heading back over to the dance and followed a few couples in. I saw Ruby over by the punch bowl with Jaune. Yang and Xana were hanging out by Ren and Nora. Sun and Blake were talking in a corner together. Weiss looked like she was trying to make a flower stay up. I guess Pyrrha and Neptune are running late. Skyler was in the middle of the dance floor. I decided to head up to the balcony until Cerise showed up. When I got there I saw Pyrrha and someone in a light pink dress and shoulder length pink hair talking outside.

"Hey Pyrrha and unknown other girl." I said walking up to them.

Pyrrha turned around and laughed a bit. "this unknown girl is your date tonight."

The girl turned around and she was right it was Cerise. "Um.. Wow Cerise I thought you said you weren't gonna dress up tonight." I said

"Well I wasn't but after last night I figured it was the least I could do. So this morning I asked Pyrrha if she could help me out." She said blushing a little.

"Well you look stunning." I said walking over to her. "Thanks for the help Pyrrha."

"Yeah she is pretty amazing isn't she." Jaune said walking up to Pyrrha and kissing her. "Girls can I talk to Crimson alone for a bit." They both nodded and walked down together. "I'm willing to call a truce for tonight, and I wanna say I'm sorry for how I acted in town yesterday." I shook my head.

"Jaune don't worry about it I know were not friends. So lets just forget about yesterday." I said offering my hand.

"I actually took your compliment to heart and Ruby is gonna help convert my weapon so it's also a gun." he said shaking my hand.

"So if you don't mind me asking why aren't you here with Weiss? From the sound of it you two were really close." He asked.

I leaned over the edge looking into the night sky. "I was going to ask her but I saw her asking Neptune. So Cerise said that she'd go with me instead."

"You do know Weiss came alone right?" he asked

"Neptune's probably just running late." I said

"He's been here longer than me." Jaune said leaning over the edge with me.

"What?" I asked thinking he was messing with me.

"I turned her down dude." said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Neptune.

"Dude I told you if a girl asked you to say yes." I said looking back to the sky.

"I would have but when she asked me I saw you behind her walking away upset. I figured you were gonna ask her so I turned her down for you. Wouldn't have been cool of me to steal your girl man" He said walking up next to me.

I gave a small laugh. "Well you could probably have her if you wanted. I don't think I have a chance now. Anyway it's a party guys go have fun I'll be down in a bit." Jaune and Neptune looked at each other nodded and walked away. After standing there a bit I decided I had moped up here enough and decided to go find Cerise. I walked down and saw Jaune and Neptune talking to her. By the time I got to her though they had walked away.

"Hey what were you guys talking about?" I asked her.

"They were just complimenting me and saying how lucky you were." she said.

"Maybe you should dress up more often." I said with a light chuckle before she punched me.

"I prefer my normal outfit." she said. The music shifted to a slow song.

"Huh kinda early in the night for this isn't it?" I said confused.

"So. Does it really matter? Come on lets go out there." She said grabbing my arm.

"You actually wanna dance? I figured you'd stay as far from the dance floor as possible." I said as she pulled me.

"Shut up and dance with me." she said. We started dancing for a while until Neptune came up and asked to cut in. He took Cerise out of my hands and I turned to see Weiss where Neptune had been.

"Um.. Care to dance?" I said extending my hand out to her.

"S-sure." she said taking my hand. We danced in silence trying to avoid each others gaze.

"S-so are you and Neptune having a good night?" I asked.

"I guess. He just came up to me when the song started and asked me to dance. I'm not sure why though since he turned me down when I asked him yesterday. Then as soon as we get on the dance floor he ditches me and takes your partner." She said. It finally clicked for me.

"Now it makes sense." I said

"What are you talking about?" she said confused

"Let's head up to the balcony I'll explain up there." I said. We got up there and she seemed more confused than before.

"What's going on Crimson" she asked

"To start off I was going to ask you here to try to apologize for what happened at the party the other night. Cerise said it would be a good idea since her and pretty much everyone else thinks there is something between us. When I went to ask you I heard you asking Neptune and he saw me walk away. That's why he rejected you. So I'm guessing between Jaune Neptune and Cerise they made up a plan to get us together using that slow dance."

"Oh so it wasn't because he doesn't like me. They wanted to try to help us out." she said

"Looks like it. I'm really sorry about all this I promise I had nothing to do with it." I said walking over to the edge.

"Crimson.. Do you have feelings for me?" She asked. I stayed silent for a bit.

"Yeah I do. I understand if you don't though." I said looking down

"Crimson." she said taking a few steps toward me.

"Yeah" I said not moving.

"Turn around." She said right behind me. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for another slap. I turned around and Weiss wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.


	7. Chapter 7

**(AN: I don't normally put these but I want to say I'm happy at the success this story has been. [I know its only a few people but it's more than I imagined I'd get especially in such a short time.] That being Said I thought Id put a disclaimer since this chapter would include a character I don't own. I only own Crimson, Cerise, Skyler and Xana. The character introduced in this chapter belongs to The Burning Ruler.)**

"W-Weiss?" I said still trying to figure out what just happened

"Of course I have feelings for you. I have for a while, but I thought you only saw me as a friend. So I never said anything." Weiss said backing away from me a bit.

"Well to be honest Weiss. Until recently I did only see you as a good friend. After the party I was so ashamed of myself with how much I hurt you. Then When I saw you Asking Neptune to the dance I realized just how bad I screwed up and it hurt me more than I thought it would." I said looking away from her.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so upset at the party. I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have said those things and I've regretted it since. I never thought we'd be more than friends especially after that night so I decided to ask Neptune. I hoped maybe it would help me get over the feelings I had. After he rejected me I really got thinking why everyone called me ice queen all the time. I really am a cold bitch." she said covering her face with her hands.

"I'm not much better. You saved me and all I could think about was getting stronger. I owe you my damn life and never even said thank you. I even pushed you away when you were only trying to help. That doesn't make you a bitch. It makes me an asshole." I said turning back around. Weiss wrapped her arms around me rested her face on my back to hide her crying.

"Please don't call yourself that." she said

"It's true though. What kind of asshole..." I started saying before she cut me off.

"I said don't call yourself that!" She exclaimed before spinning me around. "I thought I was going to lose you. Just you being here was enough for me. I wasn't expecting anything in return. If you really think you need to make up for it then just kiss me damn it."

I pulled her close and pressed my lips to hers. Tears streaming down both our faces. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity. In this moment I realized Weiss meant more to me than anyone in the world. After it broke I continued to hold her tightly.

"So you wanna admit I was right now or back at the dorm?" A voice said from behind Weiss. We both looked to see Cerise leaning on the entrance. "I'd prefer now in case you two decide to have fun later."

We both turned red. "We weren't even thinking about that! But yeah you were right. Sorry to drag you out here for no reason." I said

"Don't worry about it. It was enjoyable to watch." she said with a smirk before turning around to head back. Before she could Skyler came running up and knocking her and Cerise over. "What the hell Sky..." She was about to yell at her more but she saw Skyler was crying.

"I'm sorry." Skyler said before flying away. Soon after Ruby, Yang, and Nora followed her.

"Skyler Wait!" Nora said holding out her hand.

"What happened?" I said confused what was going on.

"I'm not sure exactly. We were all dancing and she suddenly kissed me. Before I could say anything she ran off crying" Nora said with a worried expression.

"I'll go look for her. Weiss make sure Cerise is OK. I'll message you when I find her." I said activating my semblance. I jumped off the balcony and began running in the direction she took off in. I found her in our dorm crying under her blanket. I locked the door walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "Skyler what happened?"

"I'm a big dummy that's what happened! Just leave me alone Crimson." She said unmoving.

"First off you're not a dummy. Second as your leader it wouldn't be right of me." I said messaging Weiss. I told her that I found Skyler in our dorm but don't let anyone come over till I say otherwise.

"I am a dummy I got over exited with everything going on and I ki... did something I shouldn't have" She said slowly removing the blanket from her head.

"Skyler everyone makes mistakes. I've made plenty in just the short time I've been here." I said

"Not like this. No one's gonna wanna be around me after this." She said

"I'm here aren't I? Everyone was worried about you when they saw you fly off." I said. I messaged Weiss to have Cerise bring Nora to our dorm so she could let her in.

"Yeah but you already knew about me. No one else did. I'm sure they just want an explanation of what happened." She said

"I doubt Nora thinks that way." I said. Weiss messaged be back saying that Her and Nora were already on their way and that Cerise gave her her scroll.

"Of Course she does. She like's someone else." she said covering her face again. I heard the door open and I motioned for Nora to stay quiet for a moment

"What do you mean she likes someone else? I asked

"She told me she had someone she liked yesterday when we went dress shopping. She said still under the blanket.

"That someone was you dummy." Nora said pulling the blanket off of her and hugging her. "No one is able to keep up with me like you are. You like me for who I am."

Weiss put her hand on my shoulder. "Why don't we give them some space to talk." I nodded and we walked up to the roof.

"Is Cerise OK?" I asked taking Weiss's hand

"She's fine. I think. She just as hard to read as Ren is if not harder." she said putting her head on my shoulder. We both shared a small laugh.

"So I don't think we'll make it back in time so how about a proper dance here?" I asked pulling out my mp3 player.

"Why did you even have that with you?" she asked

"I was going to listen to it up here for a bit before the dance. Figured I'd get some good music in before all the lame stuff every dance plays." I said

"Fair enough. So You got a song in mind?" She asked

 **(Cue Promise of a Lifetime by Kutless)**

I started the song and took her hand. The isolation and calm of the night sky made the moment feel that much better to us. Nothing else mattered in that moment. As the music faded out we embraced each other in another kiss. We took each others hand and looked out into the sky again.

"So Does this mean were together now?" I asked

"No you dolt I kiss every guy." she said clearly sarcastically

"So who was better me Jaune or Ren?" I said joking back

"Ren" she said laughing

"Damn. He's not just a ninja. He's a ninja of love." I said raising my fist as we both laughed.

"So not to ruin the mood but I just remembered something pretty important." she said

"What's that?" I asked

"Tomorrow we are going off on missions remember?" she asked.

"Ozpin didn't mention that to us." I said confused

"Yeah all the teams are getting sent out on missions tomorrow to shadow huntsman and huntresses." she said

"So in other words we're not gonna be able to see each other for a few days." I said sorrowfully

"Yeah. I guess so." she said sharing my sadness

"Well whatever happens just be safe please." I said pulling her in for a hug.

"I'll do my best, but that goes for you too. I don't know what Ozpin has planned for you since he didn't tell you about it though." she said embracing me

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow, but for now I guess we should head back to our dorms." I said releasing her.

"Yeah probably. Oh by the way you can give this back to Cerise." she said handing me her scroll. We shared one last kiss then headed to our dorms.

When I got back the rest of my team was still awake and in there casual clothes. "Alright team meeting guys. First Cerise here's your scroll back." I said tossing it to her. "Second you doing OK Skyler?"

"I'm OK. Nora told me no one was mad at me for what happened and now were dating. I still apologized to Cerise even though she said she wasn't mad." Skyler said in one of the calmest happy I've ever seen from her

"Awesome I'm happy for you. So Xana what's up with you and Yang?" I asked

"Yeah were together too. That's all your gonna get out of me though." He said crossing his arms and smiling.

"We'll see. I'm sure all I have to do is say the word and Cerise will get any info out of you I want." I said smiling back. Xana's smile changed to a look of fear. "I'm only kidding dude relax. I'm sure you've heard by now but I'm officially with Weiss now." After saying this my expression changed completely. "Now. I don't know how many of you heard about this yet. I just found out that apparently tomorrow the teams are being sent out on missions. Given that Ozpin didn't mention this to us I don't know if this includes us or not. Since our team is only a few days old I can understand if we're not going to be sent out. However just in case we need to be ready for anything."

"Yes Sir!" Xana said saluting me.

"We better get a mission. Were the best team here." Skyler said throwing her fist in the air.

"You do realize we have never fought at a team once. We hardly qualify as the best right now." Cerise said crossing her arms.

"True. However Xana is Ex-Military so powerhouse. Skyler is hyperactive. I've bested a second year student, and your scary as hell when you go into buzz saw mode." I said confidently

"Didn't you lose to the guy that was supposed to be the weakest?" Cerise said

"It was close." I said trying to defend myself.

"It was far from close. You even had a strength and Aura boost." she said

"There were other factors involved." I said

"Which were?" she asked knowing there weren't any.

"Um.. That's not important. The point is we may not have experience as a team but were still just as good as any other if not better." I said trying to redirect the conversation.

"Yeah!" Xana and Skyler said in unison.

"You still lost to Jaune." Cerise said with a smirk

"OK fine I lost but given another chance I could beat him." I said

"We'll see." she said with a smirk. "Anyway we should probably get some sleep in case we are sent out tomorrow." We all nodded in agreement. I changed my clothes and passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning after we woke up we started packing on the chance we would be sent out. We finished just in time Professor Goodwitch called all the students to the auditorium. We all filed in and we were told Professor Ozpin wanted to say a few words first.

"Today we stand together united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale the four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more. Than where borders fell, or who traded with whom. But about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reason. One of which bering the destruction of all forms of art and self expression. And as you are all aware that was something many could not stand for. As a result those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism and unity through diversity. As I have said today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why, today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace. Huntsman and huntresses will work to uphold it, but no matter which path you chose. Remember to be safe. Remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

After his speech the four of us went to ask him about the missions.

"Excuse me Professor Ozpin. If you don't mind me asking why didn't you mention today to us when our team formed?" I asked

"With all due respect each of you has shown to have great potential. However that talent is individual, With no experience as a team it wouldn't be very responsible to send you out without knowing how to work together." he said before taking a sip from his mug.

"You bring up a good point professor. However wouldn't an operation help us overcome adversity and learn how to work together?" I asked

"Mr. Vayr the teams here at beacon have had a whole semester to learn about each other. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Your team has been together for a few days. As leader do you feel confidant that your team would be able to take on a potentially dangerous mission and work together successfully?" He said. I turned to my team. Xana and Skyler smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Cerise just gave a thumbs up. I turned back to Ozpin.

"Yes I do sir." I said confidently. Ozpin smiled.

"Alright. However you wont be choosing a mission like the others. Arrangements have already been made for you to meet up with a former huntsman and graduate of this school tomorrow afternoon." Ozpin said

"Thank you professor, but if you already made arrangements why didn't you tell us." I asked

"I chose not to tell you knowing you'd eventually find out from one of your classmates. I wanted to see if your team thought they would be ready regardless of how new they were. Requesting to be sent out means that they are confident in each others abilities. You were to be given a mission specifically intended to build teamwork among you. However the mission you were to be given depended on whether you requested one or not." Ozpin said beginning to walk away.

"Excuse me. Sir. Can I ask who we will be shadowing?" Skyler said stepping forward.

"As I said it will be a former student from Beacon. He has since settled down and had a family. His main focus now is his band. Occasionally he will still take on missions or if I ask him for favors. You may recognize his band. He's the lead singer for The Fighting Faunus." Before Ozpin could say anything else Skyler went into full fangirl mode.

"OH MY OUM! We get to meet Vincent "Shade" Fall! This is going to be the best day of my life! I love all his music he sing's like an angel." Cerise and I both stopped her.

"I'm really sorry about that professor. We'll keep her under control." I said.

Ozpin's expression changed to a more serious one. "Before you go remember this is still a mission and if he determines you are unfit for the task he will not hesitate to send you back here at any time. Mr. Fall is one of the best to teach you about working together. Like your leader he had extenuating circumstances that put him with an already established team. Over time he was given his own team and was made leader." Ozpin said walking over towards team RWBY.

"So sounds like this guy had a situation similar to our own. Alright guys since we got a day to kill might as well take this time to do a little team training." I said turning to my team.

"Totally! But on a side note is anyone else stoked we get to train with Vincent Fall?!" Skyler said trying to keep her excitement in as well as possible.

"I'm not very familiar with the band." Xana said.

"I didn't care for their debut song Angel with a Shotgun but You're So Creepy was amazing." I said

"I preferred the darker stuff." Cerise said.

"Hey guys what are you talking about?" Ruby said with her team following behind her.

"We get to go on a mission with the lead singer of the Fighting Faunus tomorrow!" Skyler said letting out her excitement again.

"Apparently he's a graduate of Beacon and had a team situation similar to ours." I said

"That's cool and all but were going out today for a seek and destroy mission Ozpin help us set up so we could scope out the southeast." Yang said

"That's cool but who are you shadowing. Can't really beat a rockstar." Xana said taunting Yang.

"Were not sure yet, but I'm sure he or she will be just as awesome." Yang said falling for the taunt.

"Care to make a wager on that?" Xana said

"Sure 50 Lien sound good?" Yang said confidently.

"Works for me." Xana said as they shook on the bet.

"You guys are lucky I used to have a huge crush on Vincent when I was younger." Weiss said

"Used to?" I asked.

"Yeah after they never came out with another song for so long I lost interest." she said.

"Same here I used to love him." Blake said.

"Anyway should we head out and see who got the better person to shadow?" Yang said wanting to rub it into her boyfriend.

"Sure why not." I said we all headed out to the courtyard to find out who won the bet. As we were walking though the courtyard we heard a random student yell out that team CFVY had returned from their mission. We all went over and met up with them. Once they saw me they congratulated me on being able to stay.

"Never doubted you for a second Freshman." Coco said lightly punching me in the arm.

"Thanks Coco. I got good news too. I'm the leader of my own team now too. Meet Cerise Skyler and Cerise. Together we make up team CCSX." I said trying to sound cooler than I was acting.

"That's cute think you could take us on?" she asked.

"Sounds fun I know I can take you on I'm curious about the whole team. I said

"Hang on Crimson." Cerise said stepping between us facing Coco first. "No disrespect intended I'm sure a fight against your team would no doubt be fun." She said before turning to me. "However I seem to remember you saying you could take on Jaune and beat him the next chance you got. So I say if we have the chance we should take on team JNPR first. I'm sure Xana would like another shot too."

"You're evil you know that right." I said crossing my arms. Coco just laughed.

"We'll Freshman we could use a proper rest anyway. Let me know when the fight is we'll be ready spectate or participate." She said as her and her team walked off towards the dorms.

"Anyway we should see who team RWBY is going out with." I said. We followed them to where the airship that was taking them out was located. Xana Skyler and I were trying to hold back out laughter while all of team RWBY stood mortified except Yang. She looked disappointed and pissed at the same time.

"Why hello girls. Who's ready to fight for their lives." Dr. Oobleck said waving his fist.

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss said confused.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags wont be necessary girls. Seeing as how you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wastelands, and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself provided the air course and readied the airship And!" He said very fast while walking back and forth before closing in on Weiss. "It's Dr. Oobleck. I didn't earn a PhD for fun thank you very much."

"Uhh.." Weiss said

"Come now children, according to my schedule we are already three minutes behind, schedule." Oobleck said before dashing off to the airship.

"Not one word." Yang said taking 50 Lien and giving it to Xana.

"Well it looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck, OK its worse when you say it out loud." Ruby said trying to put a bright spin on this failing miserably.

"Saving the world?" I asked curious what she meant by that.

"Yeah wanna explain why your not inviting us to save the world?" Came a voice from behind us. We turned around to see team JNPR walking up behind us.

"Oh, nothing just trying to put a positive spin on having to go out with professor Oobleck." Ruby said.

"Doctor!" Oobleck shouted somehow hearing Ruby from the airship.

I pulled Weiss off to the side. "So this wouldn't happen to be related to a little incident that happened while I was in the hospital and training would it?" I asked with my arms crossed.

"M-maybe." she said

"Calm down Weiss I'm not mad just be careful out there." I said hugging her.

"Four minutes ladies!" Oobleck shouted again.

"I'll be fine Crimson." She said giving me a small kiss after. She started walking away before I stopped her.

"Here at least take this with you." I said handing her my mp3 player.

"Are you sure?" She asked worried.

"I'll be fine without it for a couple days. Besides if I need to I can use my scroll to look something up on TubeYou." I said. She put it in her pocket and gave me one last quick hug before catching up with her team.

"So you guys wanna party with us tonight?" Sun said to my team.

"I'm sure that would be.. fun, but first we have some business we need to take care of right Crimson?" Cerise said looking towards me.

I smiled and my team squared up with team JNPR. "I think our teams have some unfinished business from the other day. So instead of singles matches we challenge you to a team fight." I said to Jaune. I held my hand out to Jaune. "So how about it Jaune. Rematch?" He looked to his team and they all nodded.

"Alright then after we kick your asses again you guys have to provide the snacks and drinks for the party with Sun and Neptune." He said with a smile while shaking my hand.

"Kick our asses I seem to remember we beat half of your team. You and Pyrrha may have wins over me and Xana, but Jaune and Nora lost to Cerise and Skyler." I said.

"If that's the case then how about we pair up like that then? You and Xana versus me and Pyrrha and Nora and Ren versus Skyler and Cerise." Jaune said

I looked to my team to see if they approved. They nodded and we agreed to meet in the training room in two hours.


	8. Chapter 8

When our team entered the training hall team JNPR and CFVY were already there. We decided Nora and Ren would fight Skyler and Cerise first. When the battle started Skyler flew straight for Nora. She kissed her cheek then kicked her backwards. Cerise followed up and hit Ren with her hammer. Skyler put an Ice dust crystal on her boomerang and threw it at Nora's legs freezing her in place. Ren stepped between them and started swinging the blades of his weapon at Skyler. Cerise took the opportunity to swing at Nora only for it to be blocked. Nora slammed the ice and went on the offense. The two of them began swinging at each other only for it to continue to be blocked. Skyler managed to separate her boomerang into its sickles and was slashing back at Ren. Cerise used her semblance to throw Nora back with her hammer. Nora switched to her grenade launcher and started firing at Cerise. Skyler flew into the path of the grenades and they began bouncing off of her back to Nora. Nora tried avoiding them but the explosions froze everything in the area. Nora's was frozen solid and her Aura was red. Unfortunately Skyler still took considerable damage from the grenades and her Aura ran out as well. Cerise looked at her fallen comrade and her expression went to the same dark place it did when she fought Nora. Her hammer switched to it's buzz saw mode and she charged at Ren. Ren began firing at her and trying to keep his distance from her. Cerise took considerable damage but managed to catch up and with one swipe of her saw depleted the rest of Ren's Aura.

Cerise ran back to Skyler and helped her up. "You didn't need to be so reckless, but...thanks."

"It's what teammates do. I know is seems like I act without thinking most of the time. And it is very true but I also wanna be able to show you I'm not just some airhead." Skyler said as they walked back. Cerise used her semblance to smash the ice containing Nora with her hammer and brought her over to Skyler.

Next up was me and Xana versus Jaune and Pyrrha. When the battle started Xana and Jaune started glowing green. Jaune turned to Pyrrha and slashed at her. She wasn't able to block the attack and lost a considerable amount of Aura. Xana hooked his kunai to the chains on his chest and threw them at Pyrrha wrapping them around her legs. Pyrrha used her polarity to release herself and wrapped them around Jaune instead.

"Jaune why are you attacking me were on the same side?" Pyrrha said confused.

"Normally yes. My semblance is manipulation. I can make an enemy fight for me for up to five minutes." Xana said releasing Jaune.

"That seems like an oddly small amount of time." I said

"You'd think so but you'd also be amazed what can be done in five minutes when the odds shift in your favor." Xana said showing Pyrrha had lost a quarter of her Aura already.

"Fair enough." I said as Jaune came out of his trance.

"Umm what just happened." He said confused.

"You beat up your girlfriend." Xana said with a smirk.

"What! Why would I.." Jaune started to say.

"Would you stop talking and fight!" Coco yelled to us.

Xana and I nodded to each other. I loaded gravity and fire dust into my guns. I charged at Pyrrha switching to my swords and dragging the fire one to ignite it. Xana threw his kunai at Jaune who was able to block them with his shield and charged back at Xana. Pyrrha blocked most of my strikes but I kept the pressure hoping it wouldn't give her an opportunity to use her polarity. Xana pulled his chains back and began shooting at Jaune. Jaune blocked most of the shots with the rest either missing or grazing him. Jaune slashed at Xana only for his sword to get caught in his chains. Xana Took the opportunity to swing Jaune sending him into Pyrrha. I activated the gravity dust and switched back to the gun mode I fired and the impact sent them both flying into the wall. Jaune got up and charged at Xana. His sword got caught again but this time he was able to use it to his advantage. Jaune stabbed his sword into the ground locking the chain down. He then began bashing his shield into Xana repeatedly. I ran over to help but Pyrrha used her polarity to grab my sword and threw me towards the ground hard. I got back and charged at her shooting her. Her polarity managed to shift my guns aim but each shot was landing close enough to her that the gravity still had an impact on her if only a small amount. This eventually knocked her shield away from her I kept this up until I was close enough to land a strike on her. Xana and Pyrrha's Auras depleted at the same time. With no way to defend himself Jaune wore though Xana's Aura in no time. Jaune and I turned to face each other.

"Now this looks familiar." I said walking towards him.

"You gonna activate your semblance and make this an even fight?" He said referring to the scoreboard. I looked ans saw I was almost in the red while he still had three fourths of his. I activated my semblance and switched my gun back to it's sword mode. Jaune took his swords back from where he had embedded it.

"Round two. Fight!" I said charging towards him.

His blade collided with my fire blade. I struck his shield with my gravity blade and it knocked us both back. Jaune lost his shield and I lost my gravity blade. We charged back at each other and our blades collided once again. Over and over or blades kept clashing. On one of the clashed I used my tail and took his sword from him and threw it to the side. I went for the final blow but he was able to duck out of the way. Ge grabbed my arm and tossed me over his shoulder causing me to land on my back. I got up and he tried for a high kick. I was able to grab his leg and use his momentum to throw him away from me. He got up and we charged at each other. We both managed to punch each other in the face. We both fell to the ground. Jaune's Aura had depleted. Mine still had a fifth left.

"How did you manage to beat me? The way it went it should have at least ended in a draw." Jaune asked while Pyrrha was helping him up

"The fire dust in my blade. Each time we clashed embers would his you doing minor damage. When done multiple times it can do a considerable amount of damage." I said as Xana helped me up. "Jaune just cause you lost doesn't make you weak though remember that. It was a hard fought battle and it was really close. It doesn't mean I'm better than you. It means that were tied now. The next fight will determine who the better fighter is." We shook hands and agreed to fight each other again after the Vytal Festival.

"That was awesome!" Skyler and Nora said running over to us.

"You guys seriously forgot to tell us about the fight." Sun said walking into the training hall

"We didn't forget. We made the plans in front of you if you didn't come it was your own fault." Ren said joining everyone else.

"Guys guys that's not whats important." I said trying to calm everyone down. "The important thing is JNPR had to provide the snacks for the party."

"No the important thing is that you first years decided to throw a party and not invite us." Coco said walking up to me. "I thought we were friends Freshman." She said lowering her sunglasses.

"I-I was going to tell you. It just um.. slipped my mind." I said trying to sound convincing.

"I see where you learned your intimidation tactics and sense of humor." Cerise said walking up to us.

"Between her and Yang yeah." I said sighing

"The big kids are invited right? You aren't scared to party with us are you?" Coco said standing back by her team again.

"Of course you are! This is gonna be one hell of a party." Sun said.

"Alright but I have one rule. This time no one is allowed to slap me and leave." I said joking. Cerise and Skyler and Nora all slapped me and started walking back to the dorms. "OK I asked for that."

"Yeah you kinda did, but care to explain what you meant by that?" Coco said as we followed them.

"Yeah I suppose I should fill you in on everything that's happened while you were gone." I said.

I explained to her about the test Ozpin had us do in order to become a team. Why Jaune had a grudge against me. The fight with Weiss and everything that happened at the dance.

"Damn Freshman we need to hang out more. Fun stuff happens to you." Coco said laughing.

"Finding out I unintentionally made a guy hate me. Nearly being forced to give up on my dream. Fighting with my future girlfriend, and having to console a teammate after she thought she lost everyone's respect and friendship is considered fun to you?" I asked

"Hey at least everything somehow worked out positively in the end. Happy endings are fun right?" she said.

"Yeah I guess so. I hope Weiss and Yang are OK though." I said

"Just those two what about Ruby and Blake?" Cerise said somehow phasing into the conversation.

"Of course I'm worried about them too. Obviously I'm worried about Weiss more for personal reasons. I'm more worried about Yang for Xana's sake. Two fights since he's been here and he's lost both of them. If something happened to Yang I can't imagine what it would do to him."

"The party should help boost him up a bit. If not I'm sure you'll pull something out of your ass." Cerise said

"I like her. I'm kinda surprised you went after Weiss instead of her." Coco said making us both blush. Me more so that Cerise.

"It wouldn't have worked anyway. He wouldn't have been able to handle me." Cerise said crossing her arms. Coco just laughed as we reached our dorm.

We all decided we all wanted to take it easy since most of us had had enough "fun" for today. Sun and Neptune were a little disappointed but they agreed to a movie night. We decided to hold it in team CFVY's dorm since it was bigger due to them being second year students. Jaune and Pyrrha brought a couple large bottles of soda and A few different chips. For some reason Nora and Skyler convinced Ren to make a ton of pancakes. The majority of us were confused as to why. Nora made everyone try them and then we all understood. Ren's pancakes were a gift from heaven above. They were pure perfection. We were convinced no one on Remnant could make anything better than Ren's pancakes. Even Cerise was smiling at them. None of us had ever seen a smile that big on her face other than when she went into kill mode.

We ended up watching three movies before calling it a night. The first movie was an action comedy starring Bryan Renholds as the comic book character Redpool. Next was a comedy about students that weren't able to get into collage so they decided to create their own. Eventually they got caught and were almost shut down until they convinced the school board that they were just as good as any other school. The last one was a comedy drama starring the late Robby Willms. His character has a rare disease that causes him to age faster than a normal human so while he looks like his an adult he's actually 10 years old.

Everyone seemed to get along pretty well seeing as how most of us had never actually hung out together. After the last movie was over we helped clean up and then headed to our dorms. I asked Xana to head up to the roof with me before we went back.

"So why are we up here?" Xana asked.

"Well I had a heart to heart with everyone else I figured I probably shouldn't leave you out." I said

"Um. Not sure what you mean but OK?" he said confused.

"I just wanna make sure your OK man. I know you've had it kinda rough since you got here." I said

"What do you mean?" he asked still confused. "I feel like things have been going OK for me.

"You sure dude? Not trying to cut you down but you've had two fights since you've been here and you lost in both of them. I just wanna make sure your not thinking negatively after that. I know if I were in that situation I'd probably be getting pretty discouraged." I said realizing I should have stopped talking sooner.

"Nah man I'm good. I've always been better at group battles than one on one. You have to admit I did a lot better today than I did last time. My semblance makes me perfect when the odds are against me so I trained for that." he said

"Alright I just wanted to make sure. You definitely did better in this fight especially when you used your semblance. Why did only use it the once though?" I asked.

"Because recharge time sucks. I have to wait a couple minutes before I can use it again. Plus I was having to much fun by the time it was ready and I knew you could finish it with a win. So in a way I sacrificed myself like Skyler did for Cerise" he said

"While I appreciate the gesture and confidence you had in me. Don't ever do that outside of training." I said

"Oh hell no. That happens on a mission or something I'm gonna be assuming control of anyone who crosses us." He said raising his fist to me. I hit his with mine and we headed back to the room. We got back to the room and Cerise and Skyler were already passed out.

The next morning we were all excited for our mission. Skyler wanted to see team JNPR before they left so we walked out to the airship with them.

"I got a bad feeling guys. Ruby called me last night but it was all static and then it just cut out." Jaune said

"I'm sure they're fine Jaune." Pyrrha said trying to reassure him.

"You think?" Jaune said

"Probably a butt-dial" Nora said happy as ever.

"Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally in the field. We should focus on our own mission" Ren said.

"Were gonna be deputies!" Nora said hugging Skyler. Xana and I looked at each other hoping Jaune was worried for nothing. We were still hoping Weiss and Yang weren't in trouble.

"I've just got a bad feeling." Jaune said

"I'm sure ev..." was all I was able to say. We could hear a siren coming from town with a huge cloud of smoke in the middle. Then I siren began going off at the school too. Jaune and I looked at each other and nodded.

"We're changing our mission. Everyone on board." Jaune said to his team.

"Guys get your lockers here now. Were going with them." I said punching in the code for my locker. After all our weapons arrived we got on the ship and set off with team JNPR.


	9. Chapter 9

The closer we got to the city we could see more and more grimm. Skyler and Nora jumped out of the airship. Skyler flew ahead while Nora used her hammer to launch herself forward.

"OK I know this is serious but they really work well together." I said

"Yeah. I'm happy for her." Ren said. I thought I detected a little sadness in his voice.

We saw team RWBY surrounded by grimm in the center of the city. We all jumped out of the airship and ran to where they were. They were holding them off fairly well. I loaded gravity and ice dust into my guns and began shooting at any grim near Weiss. Once a path to her was clear I switched to my swords to charge towards her.

"Never pegged you as the damsel is distress." I said jokingly

"J-just shut up and fight." she said blushing.

"As you wish." I said as we charged toward a king taijitu.

"You focus on the white half, I'll get the black half. Weiss said

I switched my ice sword back to its gun mode and began firing at it. Small ice shards formed on it where it was being hit. A few of my shots managed to hit its eye. It lunged at me but I slashed at it in defense and broke its fangs. I jumped at it to stab at it's ice covered eye but it managed to hit me in midair. I switched both my weapons and started firing gravity shots at it. The impacts kept it busy long enough for me to stab its eye with my ice blade. I switched back to the gravity sword and swung at my sword stuck on its eye causing it to pierce through and come out through its other eye. Before I was able to recover my other sword the black half it me from behind causing me to lose my other weapon. It lunged at me again and I had no way to defend myself. I held my hands out hoping my aura would hold it back long enough for Weiss to finish It off. Weiss stabbed its eye with her rapier and fired causing its head to explode in a ball of ice.

"Now who's the damsel in distress?" she said offering me a hand.

"Ha Ha very funny. We've still got a lot of grimm to take out." I said accepting her help while smiling.

After a few minutes Sun, Neptune, Team CFVY and professors Port and Goodwitch arrived. I saw a couple other people helping out too. One was a girl with green hair using what looked like pistols with sickle blades. The other was a guy with silver hair kicking anything that came near him. It looked like his boots were similar to Yang's gauntlets. With everyone's help we cleared out the rest of the grimm fairly quickly. We even managed to catch Roman Torchwick. I'm not sure what he was doing here but with how evasive he's been it seemed almost too easy that we caught him. Maybe that just shows how good all of us are getting.

"Are you OK Weiss?" I asked

"I'm fine Crimson. She said

"That's good. So care to explain what happened?" I asked

"Well.. since the day Blake ran away we've been trying to gather intel on Torchwick and the White Fang to find out where they would strike next. We got a lead saying they would be somewhere in the southeast. So when it came to looking for a mission we tried looking for a mission in that area. At first it seemed like it was just a simple mission to go in and clear out grimm. At some point during the night Ruby left where we were camped it and fell into a giant hole. We went in to save her and found where the White Fang and Torchwick were operating out of. They loaded train cars with explosives and had them set to separate in order to lead the grimm into the city. We finally managed to get into the train to try to stop it. As you can see we weren't able to stop it in time. Blake was able to temporarily knock out Torchwick making his capture easier at least." Weiss explained.

"I don't know it almost seems like it was to easy to capture him. Well what's important is that he'll be locked up and you're safe." I said pulling her in for a quick kiss. I wrapped my arm around her as we joined everyone else. Ruby was talking with the green haired girl I didn't recognize. Team JNPR were congratulating each other with Skyler. Blake, Sun, Neptune, Yang and Xana were celebrating with each other. Blake even kissed Sun. I felt bad for Neptune being the fifth wheel. Cerise was with team CFVY and we decided to join them.

"Nice work out there freshman." Coco said noticing me. Cerise used her semblance to make me punch myself in the face.

"What was that for?" I asked holding where I had punched myself.

"Abandoning your team. As soon as we landed you immediately ditched us to go help your girlfriend. Our main issue as a team is teamwork. That will never improve if we always separate from each other." she said. Weiss was about to defend me but I stopped her.

"Your right. I'm sorry. I was thinking about Weiss and I should have stayed with you and Xana or went to help Skyler." I said

"Xana did the same thing you did. He ran to Yang as soon as he could. I'm not happy with any of you. The Vytal Festival is in a few weeks. If we don't learn to work as a team we have no chance of winning." Cerise said folding her arms. "Your the leader. So far you'd been doing a fairly good job. Now I'm not so sure if this is how you'll act in the field."

"Hold on kids. Your team has been together for less than a week. Your teamwork is bound to be weak." Coco said stepping between us. "Also remember we watched your fight with team JNPR and for not being together long you were able to team pretty well. Some situations are going to call for you to split up. This was one of them. Everyone needed to cover as much ground as possible to make sure all of the grimm were contained."

"Then why didn't your team split up?" Cerise asked.

"There was still a high concentration where we were. It was strategically better to stay where we were." Coco said. "I understand where your frustrations lie. Trust me though your teamwork is better than you think. You'll do great in the Vytal Festival. If you can get past us that is." Coco and her team walked off after that.

"Not to interrupt but you gotta beat us too." Weiss said. She kissed me then walked off to join her team. After that Xana and Skyler joined me and Cerise.

"Alright guys we've only got a few weeks until the Vytal Festival. Cerise brought up a good point to me. If we wanna win we have to get our teamwork in check. On our own I'm sure well have no problem. The first two rounds are team battles, and unless we work on that we might not make it that far. I know I'm just as guilty of this." I said looking at Xana and Skyler. They both nodded in agreement knowing they were guilty of separating. "Alright then until we have a good grasp on this every day after class we should head to the training hall to practice. Sound Good?"

Everyone nodded. Professor Goodwitch walked over to us. She didn't look happy but then again I don't know if I've ever seen her happy.

"How did you children end up here? You should have been back at the school getting ready for your mission." She asked

"We were seeing team JNPR off when the sirens were going off. I made the decision that we would join them. I know we came without permission and I'll accept any punishment on behalf of my team." I said crossing my arms behind my back.

"Your not in trouble Mr. Vayr. As leaders you and Mr. Ark made the decision you thought was right. If it wasn't for that the damage here could have been a lot worse." she said. "Due to this event you wont be going on your scheduled mission today so you will be allowed to take the the next couple days off."

I look at my teammates and then back to her. "Professor if it's not to much trouble can you ask Ozpin if there is a way to head out to our mission tomorrow?" I asked. This request took her by surprise.

"I would think you children would want some time to relax after everything you've been though today." She said.

"Well if we had another choice I'm sure we'd be all for it. But we all agreed that we need to work on our teamwork if we wanna have a chance in the tournament. Since our mission was given to us by Professor Ozpin for that very purpose. We'd like to still take it on." I said

"Very well. I'll talk to Ozpin and see what we can do. For now I recommend taking the rest of the day to relax." She said walking away taking out her scroll.

On the way back to Beacon Sun suggested a victory party but most of us agreed that we'd just rather relax or sleep. We got back to our room and all of us collapsed onto out beds.

"Hey guys." Skyler said with her face in her pillow.

"Yeah?" Xana and I said our faces down too.

"Weren't we supposed to get bunk beds at some point?" she asked.

"Oh yeah... Raise your hand if you don't care anymore." I said not removing my head from it's position. "Did anyone raise their hand I didn't look."

"All of us except you." Cerise said being the only one sitting up.

"Good were all in agreement. Meeting adjourned." I said. My scroll went off but I didn't want to move. I handed it to Cerise. "Who's it from?" She took the scroll and opened it up.

"Two messages. One from Ozpin saying we leave at One tomorrow. The other from Weiss asking you to go to the roof. Should I tell her you were killed by your pillow?" she asked

"No tell her I'll be there in a few min." I said still not moving.

"OK" she said with a small smile on her face. After she finished she handed it back to me and I put it back into my pocket. A couple minutes later there was a knock at the door. Cerise got up to get it. It was quiet for a bit then I suddenly felt a lot of weight on my back.

"What the hell?" I turned my head as much as I could. I could see the end of Weiss's white skirt and her legs hanging off my bed. "Alright what did Cerise tell you."

"Some sexual remarks telling me to come over. Originally I came to chew you out. Cerise explained that she was the one who messaged me because you were dumb enough to let her. So I decided this would be your punishment." she said

"Alright that's fair I should have known better." I said burying my face again.

"Also I was supposed to tell Xana if he's not dead that Yang wants him over there. Followed by a really bad pun I refuse to repeat." she said. Xana slowly got up and headed for their dorm. Weiss got off of me and grabbed my arm trying to pull me out of bed. "Now get up I have something important I need to talk to you about."

I slowly got up and headed for the roof with Weiss. When we got there we saw Ruby leaning over the edge. "Is what you wanted to talk about related to her?" I whispered.

"No. She must have came up here when I said I was going to your dorm." she whispered back.

I walked up to her and gently put my hand on her shoulder. "Ruby? You Ok?" I asked her.

"Oh. Yeah. I'm fine. I thought Weiss was looking for you?" she asked without turning her head.

"I'm right here you dolt." she said walking up to the other side of her.

"Oh. Yeah. I suppose you guys are gonna want to be alone. I'll just be on my way." she said walking away. I looked at Weiss who seemed just as concerned as me.

"Ruby hang on." I said. Ruby stopped walking but she didn't face us. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder. "You look like someone stole your cookie collection and ate it in front of you." I said. Weiss had walked over by then.

"Actually if that had happened she'd probably be crying." she said putting her hand on her other shoulder. On cue Ruby started crying.

"She didn't mean it right Weiss?" I said with a slightly annoyed look

"No I'm sorry Ruby." she said

"It's fine guys I'm OK." Ruby said wiping the tears from her face.

Weiss and I both looked at each other. "Bullshit."

"Come back and talk to us we all know this isn't right for you." Weiss said. We walked back to the edge and sat down next to it with Ruby between us.

"Ruby you know you can always talk to us. Weiss may seem cold but she's your teammate she'll listen and help you if she can." I said.

"I'm fine guys really." Ruby said still wiping tears from her eyes.

"Ruby Rose the entire time I've known you I've never seen you this upset. What's going on I would think you'd be happy after today." Weiss said

"I am happy. I... just wish I had someone to share it with." Ruby said finally giving in. "Jaune and Pyrrha. Nora and Skyler. Yang and Xana. You two and now Blake and Sun. I just..feel left out." She said wrapping her arms around her knees and looking down to hide her tears.

"Well is there anyone you like here?" Weiss asked

"Ki.. I don't know." Ruby said

"Ruby we both caught that you were about to say kinda. You don't have to tell us who it is but we'll try to help you if we can." I said

"Thanks but I doubt you'd be able to help. They are already with someone anyway." Ruby said

"Jaune?" Weiss said

"No." Ruby said

"What are you doing?" I asked

"If I guess it right I'll know what she's into to know how to help her. Xana?" Weiss said

"No." Ruby said

"Even if you guess how do you know she'll tell you the truth?" I asked

"I'll know trust me. Sun." Weiss said hoping that one was right. There was only one other guy in a relationship.

"No" Ruby said

Weiss seemed a bit angry now. "Ruby. Do you have a crush on Crimson."

"No." Ruby said

"See Weiss she said no to all of us." I said seeing Ruby tense up a bit. I looked at Weiss to see if she noticed it too. "Ruby. Do have a crush on Weiss?" I asked calmly

Ruby was silent for a bit. "Y-yes..." Weiss looked at her in shock but it soon turned to sympathy. She hugged Ruby who didn't move.

"I'm sorry Ruby." she said

"I told you there was nothing you could do to help me. Not like I'd have had the chance anyway." Ruby said breaking the hug and starting to walk away.

"Why do you think that?" I asked. Weiss shot me a look of confusion.

"For one Weiss has had her eye on you basically since you got here. It feel's like she still hates me even though I've tried so hard to become friends with her. On top of all that even if I you'd have rejected her for some reason... She'd never.. be with.. me... a girl." Ruby said trying her hardest to hold back from breaking down. After that she burst into rose petals and rocketed away.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out. She was too far away for her to catch up to.

"Weiss let her go." I said

"What? Anyone else you immediately run off after them. She says that she has a crush on your girlfriend and you decide not to follow her!" Weiss yelled at me.

"That's not it. Her semblance is speed. Even if we tried to catch up to her she'd just do the same thing. Right now the last people she wants to see is us because she probably think were mad at her. If it makes you feel better I'll have Skyler and Cerise go look for her. They might be able to help her more than anyone else right now. Plus since Skyler can fly she can search easier." I said

"Alright yeah." Weiss said understanding.

I pulled out my scroll and called Cerise. "Hey are you and Skyler still at the dorm together."

"Yeah but I think she's passed out. What's up." she said

"Ruby ran away I want you and her to go look for her." I said

"What did you do now." she asked like this was a regular thing

"Technically I didn't do anything. Weiss did." I said. Weiss punched me for that comment. "If you find Ruby you can try getting her to explain if not I'll try my best later."

Cerise sighed. "Alright fine." I heard a crash and Skyler saying ow. "We'll get on it. Any idea where she may have gone?"

"Not really. I doubt she'd have gone to her dorm right now but it probably wouldn't hurt to check. I really appreciate the help." I said hanging up. "They will find her."

"I hope so. I'm really worried about her." Weiss said

"I know but we need to talk." I said putting my arm around her. "First off I want you to know I wont be upset by your answer I just want to know. If Ruby had asked you out what would you have said?"

"I'm not sure. I've had thought about being with another girl. Not to say I'd rather be with a girl. I still care about you so much. I guess you could say I'm bisexual. However I knew father would never allow that so repressed those feelings. Then again I never expected to fall in lo..Care about a faunas as much as I do... Which reminds me of the reason I needed to talk to you.."she said as her expression changed from guilt to one of worry. "My father saw the attack in the city and saw us in the aftermath..." He requested a video meeting with us tomorrow morning."

"And your worried he's going to tell you we have to break up." I said.

"Yeah." She said. I pulled her close and kissed her.

"Everything will be alright Weiss. I promise." I said

"How? I can't see any possibility where he would be OK with this." she said tears forming in her eyes.

"Just trust me Weiss." I said taking my scroll out. I saw a message from Cerise saying that they found Ruby.

"Cerise and Skyler found Ruby in one of the classrooms. They've managed to calm her down some." I said

"That's good. I didn't mean to hurt her like that." She said.

"For now we should probably head back and try to get some sleep. It's going to be a long day." I said kissing her again before we headed back to our dorms.

When I got back to my dorm everyone was back in the room out cold except for Cerise who was reading.

"How's Ruby doing?" I asked quietly.

"Heartbroken and tired but otherwise OK." she said putting her book down. "She thought you and Weiss would be mad at her. I told her that you sent us to look for you because you were worried. So care to explain why you picked only me and Skyler to go look for her and no one else?"

"Well considering Skyler is the only other person I knew that liked girls and was scared to admit it I figured she'd be a good person plus since she can fly she would have been able to cover more ground faster." I said

"Alright now why me and not her sister, Nora or someone else? It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with thinking that I might have some qualities similar to Weiss that she might like?" She said crossing her arms.

"What? No. That hadn't even crossed my mind. Although now that you mention it." before I could say anything else she stopped me.

"No. Unlike you and some others. I don't feel like I need to be with anyone. Not only that but I doubt anyone would want to be with me in the first place." she said.

"Why do you think that?" I asked

"Because were huntsman our goal is to protect Remnant." She said

"I meant why do you think no one would want to be with you." I said

"I know what you meant." she said laying down and facing away from me. "Its not like there is anything special to me. I'm just another huntresses."

"You may think that but I'm sure somewhere out there is someone you are special to. Something about you and you alone that they think is amazing." I said

"Shut up." she mumbled.

"What?" I asked.

"I said shut up. You know nothing about me." she said sitting up and turning to me. She had tears in her eyes. This was the first time I'd seen this side of her.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better." I said

"Well it didn't work. You wanna know why I think I'm nothing special? Why I don't show my emotions? I had someone that I cared about. Back in the primary school in Mistral. I tried to show him how I felt but he treated me like I was a nobody. My evil side came out during a practice fight with him. I took it to far and he was wounded bad. He survived but from then on I was dubbed the demon of the school. I was teased and picked on constantly. The longer it went on the worse it got. Eventually I blocked off my emotions and believed nothing was special about me. Realizing that I was forever cursed to be alone. Now you know why I don't want to get close to anyone else. Are you fucking happy now?" she said rolling back over.

"I wanna say one thing. I can understand why yo wouldn't want to get close to anyone after that. I grew up being made fun of my whole life for being a faunus. I've gone though years of abuse and torment. I almost got myself killed because of it. I know full well that this world can be cruel. That doesn't mean you need to give up. My girlfriend hated faunus and her father is supposedly one of the biggest anti-faunus people out there. Your still human you still have those emotions you still care about people. Team JNPR and CFVY have both seen your evil side and they still are friends with you. Hell Coco loves seeing that side of you. You have people who care about you and think you are special in your own way. You never know there may be someone here that finds you very special. They just haven't made it known yet."

"Yeah we've seen that side of you twice. If I seemed like I didn't care I'm so sorry. Were your team Cerise we'll always care about you and look out for you." Skyler said sitting next to me. Cerise sat up and looked at us.

"Yeah I think your evil side is awesome. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it but its nice to have as a teammate. Besides like Crimson said Nora and Ren got a close up of it and they still like hanging out with us." Xana said joining us.

"Nora said she was scared when it happened but that was mostly because it was so unexpected. She was hoping it would come out in our rematch. She was so disappointed when she found out it came out while she was frozen." Skyler added.

Cerise took everything we said to heart and her face was streaming with tears. "You guys suck you know that." she said with a huge smile before getting up and hugging us.

"Alright we've got a long day tomorrow we should probably get some sleep. I said. Everyone agreed and we all passed out almost immediately.


	10. Chapter 10

Morning came too quickly for me. Made sure to set my alarm earlier than normal to make sure I was on time for my meeting with Weiss's father. I had assured her the night before that everything would be okay, but I still wasn't able to convince himself. I had some ideas to hopefully convince him to allow our relationship to continue. Unfortunately if he was as much of a racist as I had heard then I might have a hard time even getting a chance to convince him. I decided I should dress a little nicer than normally to hopefully give a decent first impression. I wore black dress pants with a black long sleeve button up shirt. I had just started buttoning my shirt when I heard a soft knock at the door. I opened it to see Weiss standing there blushing.

"What is there something wrong?" I asked confused.

"Um... Your shirt is um..." she said pointing to my shirt which was currently only half buttoned.

"Oh sorry I'm just finishing getting ready." I said franticly trying to finish buttoning my shirt up. After I got the last button I fixed my collar. "So? How do I look?"

"Not as good as you did in the tux, but this is a close third." She said.

"Third?" I asked confused.

"I like your normal outfit the best you just seem out of place in dress clothes. Although you might wanna tuck your shirt in if that's what you're going with" She said.

"Good to know I won't be expected to dress fancy for you." I said tucking my shirt into my pants. Her expression completely changed after I said that.

"If things don't go good that might not be an issue either way." She said rubbing her arm nervously.

I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "It'll be okay Weiss." I said pulling her close. 'I hope.'

"We should probably get going. Don't forget your scroll just in case." She said stepping away from the door.

"I forget my scroll one time." I said jokingly

We headed for the CCT for our meeting. Weiss's father had deemed the call as a business matter so we were able to get a private room. Good thing too I'm pretty sure there is going to be a lot of yelling. Weiss placed the call to the number her father gave her in the message. After a few rings the head of the Schnee Dust Company was on the other side of the screen.

"Weiss." He said with a stern expression on his face.

"Father. This is my friend and former teammate Crimson Vayr." She said holing her hand out towards me.

"It's an honor to meet you sir." I said giving a small bow.

"Hmm. Well Mr. Vayr maybe you'll want to start by explaining why I saw you kissing my daughter after the attack in Vale." His voice slowly growing in anger.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "Well sir it's because I've come to truly care about your daughter. She is a truly amazing person and has been the best friend I've had since coming to Beacon.

"You both used the word friend. Yet you both seem to show there is more than that. That is something I simply REFUSE to allow. Weiss your relationship with this vermin is over. You will be returning to Atlas immediately." He said sternly.

"What!?" Weiss said

"Sir please. Wouldn't allowing your daughter to be with a faunus be a plus towards your company's image?" I said hoping to find a way to get though to him.

"Ha. The Schnee Dust Company's image is fine the way it is. A heathen like yourself would tarnish it." He said leaning back in his chair.

"Father that's enough! Crimson means so much to me don't you care about your daughters happiness?" Weiss said pleadingly

"Why do you think I allowed you to attend that school. Clearly if your making decisions like this it was a poor move on my part to allow it. To think my daughter would become enamored with a weak and pathetic faunus. You are to return at once and when the time is right you will be married to a proper suitor. Clearly That is another decision that needs to be made for you." He said

"Alright I've tried to be civil about this but clearly that's not going to be an option now." I said getting pissed. Weiss was trying to calm me down before I said something I'd regret. We were way past regret. "I had heard so many times that you were a horrible man towards my kind. I thought since your daughter didn't show the same malice that maybe the rumors weren't true. Unfortunately I have seen for myself that every one of them are in fact true. Clearly you only give a shit about your money. If you truly cared about your daughters happiness you'd let her decide her future. She's not a damn robot you can program to your will. She's a wonderful human being.." He cut me off.

"Exactly she's human and for now the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. However if this is the life she chooses then the position will shift to her younger brother." He said firmly

Weiss was beside herself. "Does my happiness mean that little to you?" she started crying.

"Of course not but how could you ever possibly be happy with that weak filth." He said. Seemingly showing no emotion.

"Crimson..." She started saying.

"Hang on. If I'm so weak then how do you explain me earning my spot as the leader of my team?" I asked

"Clearly the headmaster there doesn't know what he's thinking." He scoffed.

"So your telling me none of General Ironwood's teams are faunus lead?" I asked

"I never said he was a smart man either." He said.

"Alright then how about a little bet? I would say gentleman's wager but clearly there is only one gentleman here." I said trying to irritate him.

"What the hell would you have that I'd want?" He said

"The Vytal Festival is coming up correct? If I win then you have to allow this relationship and Weiss gets to keep her position as heiress. If I don't win then I'll end the relationship immediately. If I understand your thinking you should have no reason not to accept. If I'm as weak as you say I am then I shouldn't make it very far." I said playing to his ego.

"You may as well just end this now then. I'm not an idiot Mr. Vayr I've done my research on you. Your family history is oddly scarce however I know that the orphanage you grew up in was a pitiful place. You didn't even get accepted to Beacon in the same manner as my daughter. You got special treatment and then got lucky. Ozpin threw you and a few other rejects together in a makeshift team. Not to mention that your team was only formed a few days ago. You have no chance in hell of even making it pass the first round." He said

"Then why don't we raise the stakes since you seem so confident in my lack of skill? If I win you have to set up a press conference announcing my relationship with Weiss and how proud you are that she has chosen such a fine partner. If I lose I'll transfer to another school away from your daughter." I said

"Alright you little rat your on. I'll be sending a contract over to make sure you hold up your end of this deal when you get your sorry ass handed to you. Have fun with this little fantasy while you can" He said laughing at me. He ended the call right after that.

"Crimson why did you do that." Weiss said tears flowing from her eyes.

"I'm sorry I let my emotions get the better of me. This just gives me more motivation to win. When I do your father will have no choice to accept us." I said.

"It's not worth it. You were right he clearly doesn't care about my happiness. You do. I'd rather be happy with you that be a puppet for him." Weiss said wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm going to contact him and tell him that the deal is off and that I relinquish my position."

"Weiss with all due respect don't." I said taking her hands. "I won't lose at the Vytal Festival. Especially since I have the extra motivation."

"This still seems like to big of a risk. I don't want to lose you." She said

"You won't trust me. However we can't let anyone know about this. There is a chance we may meet up against out friends in the tournament. I don't want them going easy on us just to help our relationship." I said pulling her close to me.

"I hope you right." She said worried. I looked at my watch and saw it was eleven thirty-four.

"I've got some time till I leave for my mission how about I take you out for lunch?" I asked her.

"Are you sure you'll have time to get back?" She asked.

"No but considering my mission is in town anyway I can just have my team meet us here and have them bring my stuff." I said.

"Alright do you have a place in mind?" she asked. It suddenly hit me that I had only been in town once when we were getting the tuxes so I really didn't know what was around.

"Um. Yeah. Totally I just need to remember where it is." I said trying to sound convincing.

"Oh? What's the place called maybe I can help?" She said smiling at me. She knew I had no clue. "Or you could always use the GPS on your scroll to check."

"Oh. Yeah right I knew that." I pulled my scroll out and looked up restaurants in the area. She tapped on a small restaurant that was a couple blocks away. "Yeah that's the one nice guess." I said trying to play it off as my idea. She gave me a slight punch on my arm. We left the CCT and headed towards the restaurant. I messaged Skyler that I would meet them in town and asked if she would bring me my normal outfit and my weapons. She messaged back saying Ruby was coming with her and asking how the meeting went. I told her I'd explain later. We got to the restaurant and I was surprised at the place she chose. It was a small coffee shop that seemed to be family run. We walked in and were greeted immediately. We were seated in a booth in the corner and both ordered coffee and a sandwich. Weiss ordered hers black and I added cream and some sugar to mine.

"You and Ruby both add way to much to your coffee." She said with a small laugh.

"Normally I don't add this much but since I had an early morning as well as a mission still to come. Of which I have no clue what it will consist of. I figure I need all the help I can get." I said returning her laughter."So not that I don't trust your judgment but why did you pick this place?"

"Coco actually showed me this place a couple weeks ago. She and Velvet apparently came here a lot their first year. She said its one of the few places in the city that will serve faunus. Since clearly you aren't familiar with the town I figured rather than scour to find one that will and possibly take up to much time I'd cut out the hassle." She said

"See that kind of thinking is why you need to become the head of your families company." I said

"Yeah..." She said remembering the deal I made with her father. "By the way didn't you grow up around here how do you not know the area?"

"Actually I didn't grow up here. The orphanage I grew up in was located in Vacuo. When I decided I wanted to become a huntsman I decided thought the Signal would be a better starting place." I said

"But surely you'd gone into town at some point." she said

"Yeah since I was alone anyway and didn't have friends at signal I had no need to go into the city. There was a small market in Patch that had anything I needed." I said

"That brings up another question. Not to sound rude but you dress rather well for someone who would be in that situation and the fact that you were able to afford your weapons and the resources to maintain them. Where did your money come from?" she asked.

"Well that one is a little harder for me to explain. Growing up I was told that my parents were huntsman that were killed when a mission went wrong. My grandmother was watching me at the time. She took me there after she found out my parents had been killed. She wasn't in the best health and wasn't going to be able to raise me the best. She hoped I would have been adopted into a family that would give me a good life. Sadly that didn't happen. As the next of kin for my parents and grandmother. I inherited a large sum of money that both had accumulated that I was to be given access to when I was thirteen. Which was the same year I started at Signal. Although I will admit the amount in the account seemed higher than I would have imagined at well over a million lien." I said. Weiss choked on her drink at the mention of the amount.

"Over a million!?" she asked

"That was my my reaction too. I definitely thought something was wrong. But since it was in a savings account I guessed maybe it just accumulated a lot of interest since it hadn't been touched in so long. Since I knew I wasn't going to be working for a while I kept my purchases at a minimum. I got a few items of clothing and any necessities when they came up. I used a large chunk when I was designing my weapons but the teachers were able to help me keep the costs in a decent range. Other than that I bought my mp3 and a few books here and there for when I was bored. Speaking of which what happened to my mp3 player?" I asked

"Oh.. well about that.. It got destroyed during the attack. I'm sorry I meant to tell you I just forgot. I'll replace it I promise" She said looking down.

"Don't worry about it Snow Angel. I'd rather have you than it." I said.

"What did you call me?" She asked looking at me with a small blush.

"Huh?" I said confused at what she meant.

"Y-you called me Snow Angel." She said her blush growing.

"I-I did? I'm sorry I didn't realize it." I said blushing myself.

"I didn't say I didn't like it." She said taking my hand.

"Alright Snow Angel." I said smiling at her. My scroll went off. Skyler asked said they were in town and wanted to know where we were meeting. I told her to head over to the coffee shop. "So we should probably think of something to tell them about how the meeting went. They are gonna be here soon."

She sighed before she spoke. "Your team knowing doesn't bother me as long as they don't let anyone else know. It'll probably give them extra motivation as well. I know you don't want Ruby knowing so I'm not sure what your going to tell them for now."

"Lets just say it went about as well as we expected it to. That we were just barley able to convince him to allow it. Hopefully the real story doesn't get out until after the tournament." I said.

A few min later My team and Ruby arrived at the shop. It was nice to see Ruby in such a good mood after how yesterday went. Cerise seemed to be in better spirits too.

"So I brought your gear if you wanna change out of that monkey suit." Skyler said trying to contain her laughter. Leading most of us to groan.

I took my bag of clothing from Skyler and went to the bathroom to change. She grabbed my jacket but I didn't see my normal shirt. I put the jacket on and zipped it up further than I normally do and walked out to where my team was.

"Skyler you forgot my shirt." I said

She started giggling again while digging in her own bag. "No I didn't but I thought everyone would like to know that the shirt you wear all the time is a Fighting Faunus shirt. Seems like someone is a bigger fan than they were letting on." She said laughing.

"I said one of there songs was amazing I just didn't freak out like you did. Besides at least I don't run around with a Pumpkin Pete sweatshirt like Jaune." I said causing everyone to burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?" Ruby said laughing.

"Yeah I noticed after my fight with Ren when him and Cardin were getting ready for their fight. The logo hides perfectly under the chest plate." I said

The mention of Cardin slowed the laughing and causing a mixed reaction among everyone. Ruby and Weiss saw everything from that day so their expression showed more of one of disgust. Skyler seemed to miss the comment still laughing as Jaune.

"Which reminds me weren't you supposed to introduce us to that asshole?" Cerise asked.

"Oh yeah. Well we'll have some time before the tournament I'm sure we can get a practice match with his team. Then after we can take on Ruby and Weiss's team." I said challenging them.

"You really think we'll able to take two teams on in the same day? Wont that be overdoing it a bit." Xana asked.

"No I played with Cardin the whole time we fought. If I would have went all out from the beginning he wouldn't have lasted long." I said.

"Wait didn't team CFVY already challenge us shouldn't they get the next fight?" Skyler asked.

"Yeah they probably should. If not Coco will probably kill me." I said

"If your that worried about her killing you can we even stand a chance?" Xana asked.

"Well I'm more scared of her killing me off the battlefield. As far as on I think we stand a good chance. I was able to beat Coco one on one. Skyler would probably be a good match against Yatsuhashi. Cerise could take Coco I think. Skyler would be able to match Foxes speed the best. I'd like a rematch against Velvet." I said

"Rematch?" Cerise asked

"Yeah I fought her right after I fought Coco. I had to activate my semblance in order to have a decent amount of aura to fight her. Long story short she beat me quick." I said

We talked a few more minutes before we realized what time it was. "Crap Baskets we've got ten minutes to get to our mission location." I said.

"Where is this place again." Xana asked. I looked at the message Ozpin had sent me with the mission details.

"Jamie Circle Garden. Across town." We grabbed our stuff and started heading for the door. I turned back to Weiss and kissed her before I left. "See ya Snow Angel." I said running out to join my team.

Weiss's POV

"Snow Angel?" Ruby asked.

"Um Yeah. It's better than getting called Ice Queen all the time." I said nervously. "Ruby I'm really sorry about last night."

"It's OK Weiss. That's kinda part of the reason I wanted to come with today. I want you to know I am happy for you and Crimson. I do have feelings for you, but I also want you to be happy. I don't think I'd be able to make you as happy as he does anyway." She said.

"Ruby please don't put yourself down like that. You are a great friend even if I don't show it very well. Maybe if things had turned out different we could have been together. I'm sure you'll find someone better than me." I said trying to make her feel better. It kinda hurt at the same time after the way today went.

"Thanks Weiss. I hope you right. I-I will admit um.. Cerise is kinda um.. cute. I don't think she's... that way though.. I wish I knew if more girls here were." She said nervously.

"What about the guys? Ren and Neptune seem nice." I asked

"Ren is really nice but I've never really been attracted to guys." She said

"Fair enough just to clarify why didn't you mention Neptune?" I asked knowing that I asked him out already once

"He's nice but I've hardly talked to him so I don't really know anything about him." She said.

"Well I'm sure between Crimson's team, me and Nora we can help you try to find someone." I said.

"You don't have to do that Weiss." She said.

"I want to you dolt. Especially since I feel a little guilty since this whole situation as partially my fault." I said. She smiled and hugged me.

"Thank you." she said releasing herself from me with a blush.

We decided to head out and do a little shopping in town when I noticed a flier near the front of the restaurant. "The Fighting Faunus have a concert tomorrow!?"


	11. Chapter 11

We arrived at Jamie Circle Garden a couple minutes late. Shade was outside waiting for us.

"Fashionably late I see. As a musician not bad timing. As a huntsman a couple minutes can be the difference between life and death." He said with his arms crossed. "Alright everyone around back so we can start. Gonna be a lot of work today since we've gotta put three days of work into two days."

We followed him to the back of the arena. He opened a back door and led us to the center of the dimly lit arena. There were a some large cases strewn out the large area. A couple of larger men were siting on the boxes waiting for us.

"Alright kids. Ozpin has informed me that you wanna improve your teamwork in time for the Vytal Festival. I'm sure he told you that my history at Beacon was similar to your leaders. What Oz probably didn't tell you was the story of what our team went though. We'll First off I doubt you've tried to literally kill each other yet." He said with a smile on his face. We were all in shock at what he had just said. "Yeah one of my teammates was an old friend of mine at one point. Something happened to make her seek revenge on me. Not even a week later we were friends again. My other teammates were guys I ended up meeting on a job I was doing at the time. So we all got along pretty well. Oz thinks I'd be the perfect person to help you out with teamwork. We'll to be honest I don't think there is much I can tell you guys. Our team just clicked with each other. Since you guys were determined for this though you get to set up the stage for my concert tomorrow. Normally Id have a whole crew to help but I think you guys can handle it. JB and KG over there have the blueprints for the stage set up and will be handling the electricity and pyrotechnics set ups. You guys will be building the stage to their specifications. Most of the stuff you'll need is in the boxes you see the rest is outside in the semi's. I'll be supervising in the stands." With that he walked off to the backstage area.

With JB and KG's instructions we started putting the stage together. Skyler's flying paired well with Cerise's semblance allowing them to get the higher parts of the structures together with minimal effort. Xana and I carried a majority of stuff from the trucks outside into the stage area. We had a good amount of the stage completed.

"Alright kids you're making good progress, but I can see none of you have noticed that your surrounded." Shade yelled from the stands. Suddenly the lights got brighter and all over the stands were members of the White Fang. "These are former White Fang members and mercenaries I used to run with. Their goal is to try to destroy the stage. Your goal is to stop them obviously. The lesson here is that danger can come from anywhere. You need to be alert at all times." He signaled for them to attack.

Skyler grabbed her boomerang from her back and broke it apart for it's dual sickles. She flew to try to knock as many members out of the sky as she could. Xana locked his kunai to their chains and tossed them at two members and managed to wrap them around their legs. Cerise started swinging her hammer at any member that got close to the stage. I stood on the stage and watched my teammates fighting while firing gravity rounds at anyone slipping though. I had to think of a way for us to battle as a team.

"Skyler catch!" I said throwing her a crystal of gravity dust. She caught it and looked at me confused. "Cerise. Xana on the stage now. Skyler put that in your boomerang and when I give the signal throw it at the ground pushing all the White Fang Members back to the wall."

Cerise and Xana rushed to the stage knocking as many back as they could.

"Cerise can you life the stage so it wont be touching the ground when she throws her weapon? If I'm right when her boomerang hits the ground it should trigger a shock wave hitting anything on the ground and knocking it back. If we can raise the stage off the ground it shouldn't get hit with the impact." I explained.

"I don't think so even if I could I'm pretty sure the stage will still feel some effects of the blast." Cerise said

"As long as everything was put together tight the damage shouldn't be to severe." Xana said

"Damn I was hoping to avoid any damage but it'll have to do. Alright Skyler throw it!" I yelled to her.

She threw her boomerang and the impact from the gravity dust launched every White Fang member towards the walls. The damage to the stage bent a few of the truss and broke a bunch of the lower panels. Other than that it seemed to be in decent shape. A majority of the White Fang members were out but there were sill a good amount remaining.

"Xana will your chains link together without the kunai?" I asked

"No the links are on the kunai." He said.

"Well there went that plan. OK Skyler does the dust affect your weapons sickle mode?" I asked

"To a lesser extent yeah. Why?" She asked.

I handed her an ice dust crystal and loaded my guns with ice clips. "You and I are going to form an ice prison. Xana and Cerise keep pushing them back its ready. Then we focus on getting all of them into it. Once they are you throw your boomerang and seal them all inside."

Everyone nodded and started their part of the plan Xana Locked a couple members in his chains and swung them at anyone who got close. Cerise used her semblance to throw them backwards. I fired at the ground forming a large square of ice. I switched to my blades and Skyler and I stabbed at the ice causing the walls to form. We signaled for Cerise and Xana to begin sending them over to us. Cerise used a piece of sheet metal to scoop us a bunch of the members and drop them into the structure. Xana collected members and threw them to the top where Skyler would kick them down inside the walls. A few of them she would hit with her sickles to send them down frozen to stop any of the conscious members from trying to escape. After they were collected Skyler put her blades together and threw her boomerang down to seal them all in.

"Excellent work guys." Shade said walking towards us and clapping. "The stage received minimal damage and you managed to defeat them all together. Now for the bad news. The stage you spent all day putting together is actually a fake. I purposely had you guys build a fake one knowing it was going to be destroyed."

Skyler collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Haven't any of you seen one of our concerts? The stage was way to simple for us. JB bring over the real blueprints." He said waving JB over. The design of this stage was defiantly more elaborate and was going to take much longer. "We'll brake for dinner and then start on the real stage after. We have a lot of work to do to get this place ready for tomorrow night."

I checked the time and it was already seven at night. Shade had Cerise free everyone from the ice prison we created. Shade had ordered pizza for us and he had us explain some of the things we'd already went though. After we ate and talked we got back to work. Shade gave us some extra help with the people he had dress up as white fang members. A few hours later we had made considerable progress. We asked shade if there was going to be another surprise attack and he told us there wouldn't be since we didn't have a lot of extra time. If we had the extra day like we originally planned there was supposed to be another test.

"Alright guys get some rest. As huntsman you'll have to be able to sleep in any conditions. So your choices are the floor or the seats. Normally on a mission you'd take shifts sleeping so someone could keep watch for any danger. Unfortunately that test has been scrapped due to time restrictions." Shade said gesturing to the sleeping bags by the walls with the rest of our stuff.

Skyler and I took the seats while Xana and Cerise slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Despite there still being a lot of noise with many of the crew members still working we all passed out fairly quickly. The next morning we woke up to the sound of the crew testing the pyrotechnics.

"Good morning." Shade said smiling brightly. We all groaned. "So the guys were able to get a lot more work done overnight than I originally planned. They got all the lights hooked up and the pyro is all set up perfectly. All we need to do now is lay out the wire covers and get all the extra equipment out of the way. If you guy scan get that done by noon I'll give you guys a surprise I think you'll like."

We got up and started working. Skyler and I laid out the wire covers and mats. Cerise and Xana collected the equipment and took it to the designated areas. Were pretty sure Shade had his crew scatter the extra stuff out so it would take longer to complete. Xana got ambushed by a fake White Fang member but Cerise took him out quickly. She scolded him reminding him that he needs to be paying attention at all times. Skyler almost got ambushed but she reacted in time and swept his legs causing him to land face first.

"I have to say the way Oz made it sound your teamwork was close to abysmal. You guys have nothing to worry about for the Vytal Festival. I won't say you have it in the bag since it depends who you end up facing but you have a good chance. On that note also remember to relax once in a while. Since you finished by the time I set I'll give you your reward. Each of you gets two tickets to my concert tonight." Shade said pulling a few tickets out of his pocket.

"Any chance of backstage passes?" Skyler said hopefully.

"You've already been backstage." He said smiling. "Unfortunately for reasons I can't disclose at the moment that isn't a possibility. I think everything is pretty much ready for tonight. You guys are free to go back to Beacon and get a little extra rest and figure out who your dates for tonight will be."

We took our tickets and got our stuff packed up. We decided to go to the same coffee shop from yesterday before we boarded the airship.

"So Cerise who are you bringing tonight?" Skyler asked

"Why are you asking me?" Cerise asked.

"Well I mean I'm bringing Nora I'm guessing Crimson will bring Weiss and Xana will bring Yang. So I was just curious who you were going to bring." Skyler said

"Actually I'm not sure if I'm going I'm not familiar with the band." Xana said

Skyler played Angel with a Shotgun (The Cab) and Reincarnate (Motionless in White) on her scroll for him. "So what do you think? They are awesome right?"

"It's OK but I kinda prefer more country music. If Yang wants to go I'll come but I think Id rather try getting a little practice in." Xana said. Skyler looked like she was about to tear into him but I stopped her.

"Easy Skyler not everyone likes the same music. If he doesn't wanna come that's his decision same with Cerise. The point of tonight will be to have fun with our friends." I said.

"I'm going. I just didn't say if I was bringing anyone." Cerise said

"That's fine but at least invite someone you can stand since he was nice enough to give us the tickets." I said.

"Fine. So How did your meeting with Weiss's dad go. I assume well since you two were hanging out after or was it a last date." Cerise asked.

"Right. I forgot about that." I said taking a more serious tone. "So for now we are allowed to continue the relationship. However we basically had to made a deal with the devil. If we win the Vytal Festival Tournament we are allowed to continue our relationship and he will hold a press conference announcing his daughters relationship and how happy he is for us. However if our team doesn't win not only are me and Weiss no longer allowed to date but I also have to leave Beacon Academy."

"So what does that mean for us? Your **our** leader. Are we going to be forced to leave with you or are you going to be split from us." Xana asked

"I assume that will be up to Professor Ozpin or you guys on what you'd rather do." I said.

"You realize that puts an immense amount of pressure on us right." Skyler said

"Or give us the right to screw you over for making a stupid decision without thinking of how it will affect us." Cerise said

"Yes to both and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten you guys involved. I let that bastard get in my head and I shouldn't have. Whatever decision you guys choose I'll accept it." I said.

We sat in silence for a while before someone spoke.

"Well all the work we've put into our team would go to waist if we choose to screw you over. I'm sure you were thinking this would give us extra motivation for the tournament. Well I'm motivated. I hate Jacques Schnee and I'll gladly take a chance to piss that fucker off." Cerise said.

"I'm in but you owe each of us for this." Xana said

"You are really lucky I'm a sucker for a good romance story. We're gonna kick major ass in the Vytal festival." Skyler said

"Alright Thanks guys I'll repay you all for this. I promise." I said.

We got back and Skyler and I gave our tickets to Weiss and Nora. Yang wanted to go to the concert but she decided to help Xana train instead. They were going to give their tickets to Blake and Sun but they already had plans. Same with Jaune and Pyrrha. Cerise gave her ticket to Coco. Skyler convinced Xana to give his tickets to Ruby and Velvet.

On the way to the concert Velvet and Ruby were talking about weapons. Coco and Cerise were taking about some fashion stuff. I didn't really understand most of it but I think Cerise and Coco made a date to go shopping. Me and Skyler mostly talked with our girlfriends. Coco asked us when Team CCSX were gonna take them on. Ruby said since I was on her team first that they get first dibs. Cerise reminded us that she and Xana wanted to face Cardin's team also. So we agreed that tomorrow we would fight Cardin and Ruby's teams. Then the following day we would take on team CFVY. The concert itself was a lot of fun. It was pretty late when we got back and we all passed out shortly after we got back to out rooms.

The next morning I woke up to a message from Velvet. She asked if there was somewhere we could meet up before our match with Cardin and Ruby's teams. I told her to meet me on the roof in a few minutes. Maybe she's worried about the last time me and Cardin met. I got dressed quick and headed up to the roof.

"Hey Velvet everything OK?" I asked

"Yeah. Coco said that you guys were taking on Cardin's team today. This doesn't have anything to do with me again does it?" She said.

"Well yes and no. When I told my team about my time here I mentioned the day me and Cardin fought. Cerise and Xana didn't appreciate the way he acted so they wanted to test them out. So it has to do with that day but it's also some practice for the tournament. I'd like a little revenge against him for myself for what he pulled in Emerald Forrest." I said

"I thought a grimm attacked and that's what caused you to have your panic attack?" She asked.

"It was but before the ursa showed up Cardin threw a jar of sap at me and releases a box of rapier wasps. The sap all over me attracted the grimm." I said

"I see. Just promise you won't go as far as you did last time. For me." She said.

"I won't. Were gonna try to take them out as quick as possible since we also have to face team RWBY." I said.

"Thank you. I know he was a jerk to me and I do thank you for getting him to back off. He's just not worth the effort." She said.

"Yeah I know if my team didn't wanna take him on I wouldn't have given him a second thought. Well I should probably see if my team is ready. I'll see you at the fight." I said starting to walk away.

"Umm can I talk to you about something else quick?" She asked.

"Sure what's up?" I asked walking back towards her.

"W-well I've got someone I like but I'm pretty sure they like someone else. I'm not really sure how to tell them how I feel." She said.

"Well I can say from experience you don't wanna wait to long cause it might be too late. I thought I was gonna lose Weiss to Neptune. I probably shouldn't say this but Ruby just had her heart broken because she liked Weiss and lost her chance. If you think the person you like isn't in a relationship you should make your move while you can." I said.

"Alright I'll think of something. Thanks for the advise Crimson." She said.

"Of course. I should probably get ready. I'll see you later Velvet." I said heading back to my dorm.

I got back and my team was finishing up getting their gear together. As soon as I was ready we went down to the training hall. Cardin and his team were already there waiting for us.

"I was starting to wonder if you were gonna show up." Cardin said resting his mace on his shoulder.

"Figured we'd give you time to warm up." I said.

"I'm surprised you'd still wanna show your face around this school after we all saw you bitch out against one ursa. That Jauney Boy had to take out for you." He said. I hadn't noticed but Team RWBY and JNPR had arrived in the arena.

"Jaune has become a great fighter. He's not the nervous kid you used to pick on. He's more of a man than you could ever hope to be. Yeah I had my issues from my past that came back to haunt me but I've moved on from that. I thought after I kicked your ass last time you'd have changed too. Guess we'll just have to teach you that lesson again." I said

"You got lucky last time and pulled a cheep shot. You think you and your team of rejects can beat us." He said gesturing to his team.

"Are you guys seriously gonna talk all day or are we gonna see some action?" Coco said entering the arena.

"I had to stall since you took forever to show up." I said

We squared up with Cardin's team. Sky started by firing shots towards Cerise. Skyler intercepted them and reflected them back at him. Russel rushed at Skyler but she flew up and he ran right into Cerise's hammer. Sending him flying into Dove. Xana caught Sky and sent him flying into Russel and Dove. Skyler placed lightning dust in her boomerang and threw it at the pile of bodies causing them to all flail around as the electricity flowed though each of them. Dropping all of their auras to red. Cardin stood looking on at his team.

"So I can't help but notice a bunch of rejects just wiped out the majority of your team." I said as my team surrounded Cardin. "So I'll give you one chance. Give up now or we'll pound your face into the ground." I said with a smile on my face. I saw Velvet in the stands it looked like she was getting worried.

Cardin fired off a blast towards me. The impact knocked me back a bit. Xana hooked Cardin's mace with his chains and pulled it out of his hands. Skyler flew up above Cardin's teammates. Cerise hit him towards Skyler and she kicked Cardin to land on his teammates. Finishing him off.

I looked over to the stands "Alright I think were warmed up. Ruby you guys ready?"

"Yeah but don't think were gonna go easy on you just half our teams are dating!" She said pulling Crescent Rose out.

Cardin's team trudged out of the area. I think Cardin's pride was shattered. Ruby's team dquared up across from us ready to fight. I had a bad Idea but I was going to do it anyway. I activated my semblance.

"Hold on before we start there is something I have wanted to test for a while." I said walking over to Yang. I pulled a strand of hair off her head. Yang got pissed instantly and punched me as hard as she could and knocked me into the wall. I looked at the scoreboard and saw that a quarter of my aura was gone even after activating my semblance. "OK guys that was one punch and she just evaporated the boost of aura I got from my semblance. Watch out for that." I walked back over and readied up for our match.

"Do you really think that was smart?" Cerise asked

"Nope but that's a side effect of fearlessness. Stupidity." I said smiling

Cerise just looked at Weiss. "What do you see in him again?" Causing Weiss to blush.

I charged toward Blake and began slashing at her. She blocked most of my attacks and the ones she didn't she let her shadow take. When her shadow would vanish she would fire a round at me. I was able to block a few of them with my sword but plenty of them got to me.

Skyler took after Ruby slashing with he sickles Ruby blocked each strike with Crescent Rose. She sired off a few rounds towards the ground to try to get some distance but Skyler was able to keep up with her.

Cerise swung wildly at Yang but the blond brawler was able to dodge just in time. The quickness of the swings didn't give her a lot of chances to fire back.

Xana tried to keep his distance and fired at Weiss from his kunai's pistol mode. She used her glyphs to block most of his shots. The ones she didn't block missed completely. He kept moving all over knowing if he didn't keep his movements random that she could use a glyph to slow him down. He kept firing at Weiss with one of his pistols and focused on Yang. They both began to glow green. Cerise noticed and stopped swinging at Yang and switched to her buzz saw mode and ran over to help Skyler with Ruby. Yang charged at Weiss and landed a shotgun punch to Weiss's head sending her toward Xana. Xana linked his chains to his kunai and wrapped the chains around Weiss and Yang's legs. He swung Weiss towards Blake and Yang towards Ruby. Yang had just came out of her manipulation as Xana threw her. I saw Weiss flying towards me and caught her.

"I know you couldn't wait to see me but we are in a fight." I said smiling before throwing her in the air. I grabbed her legs and spun her so she would fly towards Blake. She recovered quick and bounced off a glyph towards me. Our blades traded blows multiple times. Before I could react she had formed a bunch of glyphs surrounding us. She launched herself rapidly striking at me as she bounced off each one.

Ruby used her burst of speed to get distance from Skyler and was able to gain equal ground against her blade strikes. Cerise was about to slice at Ruby when Blake kicked her away.

Yang caught up with what happened and was furious. She charged at Xana. She had been training with him and knew his weaknesses. However so did he. When she went to hit him he jumped over her and locked his chain around her arm. He locked her other arm behind her back so the barrel of the gauntlet wasn't able to hit him. He used her chained hand to make her punch herself. Causing everyone in the crowd to laugh. She smiled and started rubbing her but on Xana causing him to blush and loosen his grip. She turned around and gave him a shot to his crotch. Taking him out of the fight.

Cerise had switched back to her hammer to block Blake's blades. She jumped back and took a big swing and threw her hammer at Blake. She used a shadow clone to evade but Cerise used her semblance to redirect the hammer to still strike Blake. The force of the hammer's strike knocked her near the wall with her hammer still following it slammed Blake into the wall. Depleting her aura.

Skyler and Ruby's blades continued to spark as they clashed. Their battle managed to circle the arena multiple times. The only time Ruby fired from her rifle was to close the distance in the air. She knew better than to fire at Skyler since it would just ricochet right back at her. Cerise used her semblance to launch her hammer full speed towards a distracted Ruby knocking her to the ground. Skyler combined her blades and added gravity dust to her boomerang and threw it at Ruby. The impact hit everyone on the ground. Ruby barly managed to escape the weapon directly hitting her but the wave of energy sent her Yang and Cerise flying back. Knocking them all out of the fight. Skyler went over to apologies to Cerise but she yelled at Skyler to go help me finish the fight.

The impact knocked me and Weiss back. She used a glyph to block most of the impact. I dug my swords into the ground to try to lessen the impact. My hands slipped off of them and I was sent rolling backwards. I had just a sliver of aura left while Weiss and Skyler both had half of theirs. I tried to run to grab my swords but before I could grab them Weiss stepped between them and me. She kissed me on the cheek then kicked me back knocking me out of the match.

Skyler had put fire dust in her boomerang and split them into her sickles again. She swung wildly at Weiss but every strike was blocked perfectly. Skyler flew to the opposite side of the arena and dive bombed towards Weiss. Weiss used a glyph to launch herself towards Skyler. At the last second Skyler put her blades together and used the boomerang to take the impact of Weiss's Rapier. Causing a huge explosion in the center of the arena. When the smoke cleared both Weiss and Skyler were on the ground and the scoreboard showed both their auras.


	12. Chapter 12

Both Weiss and Skyler's aura were depleted. We all rushed over to them to make sure they were okay. Luckily their auras had absorbed most of the blast. They both had some cuts and bruises but luckily nothing major that a couple days rest wouldn't fix.

"So now that we know everyone's okay. Who won?" Jaune said.

None of us had an answer. When the blast went off no one was able to see anything. Especially with the lingering smoke from the aftermath.

"I suppose that's what replays are for." A voice said from the entrance. We all turned to see Professor Ozpin with his signature mug in one hand and his scroll in the other. "If you could direct your attention to the scoreboard I'd be happy to show you."

We looked to the scoreboard and watched as the aura bars moved to the corner of the screen while the replay of the final moments played out. We watched as the aura levels decreases during the explosion. Weiss's was the first to hit red by maybe three percent.

"I… I won." Skyler said surprised.

"Congratulations Ms. Diischer." Ozpin said.

"Not that I'm not happy for my teammate, but how? Weiss's aura was higher before their clash." I said confused.

Ozpin chuckled a bit before messing with his scroll again and pointing to the screen again. "Does this look familiar to you Mr. Vayr." He showed us the part where Skyler was swinging wildly at Weiss with her sickles. "I believe this is the same tactic you used against Mr. Arc in your last encounter to give you the victory."

"He's right."Jaune said.

I put my arm around Skyler. "Alright young lady who gave you permission to steal my moves."

"First watch the wings kinda tender right now. Second think of it as birdie see birdie do." Skyler said smiling. Yang was the only one to laugh at her joke.

"I must say for having only been together for such a short time unlike all of the other teams here. Team CCSX has shown considerable growth and collaboration. I look forward to seeing how you do against a second year team. However after that fight I recommend a day to relax before your match. Remember as well as huntsman you need to be thinking of new strategies constantly. It would be wise to note at least one member of Ms. Adel's team has seen a majority of your fights." Ozpin says before leaving.

"He had to give away our advantage." Coco said.

"Doesn't mean we wouldn't have beaten you anyway. Keep in mind I've already beat you once." I said

"Keep in mind that was one on one. This time you have three other factors to worry about." She said

"Which means you lost a one on one and will have three other factors as well." Cerise said

"And with what our little fire bird pulled off I think it's definitely going to be an interesting match." Xana added.

"Yeah what they said!" Skyler said throwing her fist in the air. Before instantly retracting it in pain. "But first. Bed. And lots of ice."

Cerise and I helped Skyler back to our room. "Aright guys I think Skyler deserves a little reward for today what do you guys think?" I said.

"Damn right!" Xana said

"Yeah she does, but Ozpin was right. We should probably think of something new if we hope to win against team CFVY." Cerise said.

"We will tomorrow. Coco and I agreed we'd push the fight back a day to give Skyler enough time to recover. Besides I already have a few ideas we can discuss tomorrow. The rest of the day goes to Skyler. Whatever she wants." I said.

"Skyler wants Nora, Ice and sleep." Skyler said.

"Then it's a good thing that's what I brought." Nora said entering the door we (Xana) apparently forgot to close. "Well that and a couple movies, Ren's amazing pancakes, a few pain medications."

"Nora just shut up and give me the ice." Skyler said holding out her hand. "And a pancake." She said a little quieter.

Cerise, Xana and I looked at each other and had the same idea.

"We'll let you guys have some alone time. You've earned it." I said walking out the door with them.

"Just spray the room if you decide to do anything please." Cerise said.

"Really Cerise." I said

"Please don't include my bed either." Xana said.

"Really dude?" I said as we closed the door.

Xana decided to go train a bit with Yang again. Cerise went out shopping with Coco. I was about to message Weiss and ask if she wanted to do something but Velvet messaged me first.

'I think I have a way to let the person know. Meet me in the cafeteria.' Her message said. I replied saying I was on my way.

I arrived and she immediately shoved a piece of paper in my face. "If I can make a small criticism. I don't think shoving a paper in their face is a good way to tell someone 'I like you'."

She gave an annoyed sigh. "It's whats on the paper. Asshole."

"Easy Lola no need for name calling." I said looking at the paper she handed me.

"My name's Velvet. If that's to hard for you call me Vel." She said smiling.

"No Lola like the bunny in... Never mind." I said

"I know what you meant Abu. Just read the paper." She said.

"Clever. Singing competition this Sunday. Winner gets an encore performance and a chance to sing at a Fighting Faunus concert later this year." I said

"I'm gonna sing in the competition. I already signed up and I know the person I like did too so it guarantees they will be there. Just in case though would you be there to support me." She said rubbing her arm.

"In other words be a shoulder to cry on if things don't work out?" I asked.

"Y-yeah. Pretty much." She said.

"Alright but two questions. Why me? We've hardly talked since I got here and I feel like a member of your team like Coco or Yatsuhashi would be a better choice for you."

"Well I know we don't know each other very well, but I feel like I'm more friends with you and your team than a lot of the others. I would normally go to Coco with an issue, but I'm pretty sure if my team found out I got my heart broken they'd got hurt whoever did it. Or scare them into dating me. I'm not sure which one is worse." She said

"Yeah I could see Coco crippling someone for hurting you." I said.

"What was your other question?" she asked.

"Who is it?" I asked smiling.

Her face turned about as red as my hair. "W-what make's y-you think I'll t-tell you?"

"Well I gotta know who I have to tell Coco about." I said trying to hold back from laughing.

"Y-You can't tell her!" She said tears starting to form in her eyes. Female tears my weakness.

"Hey, hey calm down I wasn't going to. I was just curious was all. Besides I don't need you to tell me." I said wiping her tears with my tail.

"What do you mean I don't need to tell you?" She said confused.

"Because I'm gonna enter too. Scope out the competition narrow it down. Wait to see who you gaze longingly at while they are performing." I said laughing again. She punched me in the arm for that last part. Hard.

"That's not funny. Are you really going to enter or was that part of the joke?" she asked.

"Oh I'm defiantly entering. A chance to perform with the Fighting Faunus. I'm not passing that up." I said.

"A-alright. Just keep this between us please." She said

"Promise." I said. She hugged me before starting walking off.

"Thanks. Now we have a team meeting to go over how were gonna kick your butts." She said with her back to me.

"Good luck. You'll need it!" I yelled out to her.

"Care to explain?" Came a very familiar and not happy voice from behind me.

"That looked bad didn't it?" I said turning to Weiss who had her arms crossed.

"Only a lot." she said. I turned to make sure Velvet was gone.

"Alright I can explain but how about over a cup of coffee." I said rubbing my neck.

"Short version now. Long version at the coffee shop." She said dragging me by the tail.

I told her I was entering the singing competition along with Velvet. However my choice of wording only made it worse. I promised to explain it better when we got to town. She didn't speak to me the whole ride. At least I didn't get slapped this time...yet. I ordered our coffee and told Weiss anything else she wanted was on me.

"So you are taking this mix up a lot better than I thought you would." I said.

"Well after I flew off the handle for something small last time I figured I'd give you a chance this time." She said sipping her coffee.

"Okay so Velvet asked me for advise on how to go about telling someone that she liked them." I said.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why you and not her teammates?" She asked.

"No offense taken that was actually my first question. She said she didn't want to take the risk of what Coco would do to them if they broke her heart. I told her not to wait too long or she might loose her chance. Like I almost did and like Ruby... did..." I said remembering the hurt look on Ruby's face that night.

"So then what was with the hug and wiping her tears?" She asked calmer.

"Right when I met up with her she showed me a flier for a singing competition this Sunday. She told me she was going to enter to hopefully show her feelings to that person. Then she asked if I would be there for her in case things went bad. I told her I would. Considering the alternatives are Coco's eventual wrath or possibly locking herself away in solitude. I asked her who it was and she didn't wanna tell me so I made a joke about being able to find out anyway. She took it a little too seriously so I wiped her tears away and apologized. I told her I would be entering the competition myself. She hugged me to thank me for helping her out." I explained.

"Alright I believe you." She said smiling.

"Really I thought it was going to take more than that?" I said relaxing.

"Under normal circumstances I would have been more upset with you. However after the night I overreacted I can't see you lying to me again. Also with the way you acted towards Ruby I know you just care a lot and don't like seeing your friends upset." She said getting up and sitting next to me. She leaned over and gave me a kiss. "I also know if you didn't care about me as much as you did you wouldn't have fought with my father for me." She leaned her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my tail around her.

We sat there for about an hour. We decided to go to a movie. Well kinda. I figured it would be a good idea to stay out a little later with Skyler and Nora having the room alone together.

"Well that was underwhelming." Weiss said as we walked out of the theater.

"Yeah guess you can't expect much from N. Knight Shamealon." I said

"Didn't he have a couple good movies recently?" She asked.

"Probably but I haven't forgiven him for Dragon Orb Evolution. Anyway we should probably head back." I said

We took the airship back to Beacon. As were walking in the courtyard she stops me and pulls me toward a bench outside. We sit down and she leans on me again staring up into the sky.

"I know we've only been together for a short time but this is the happiest I've ever been. I really appreciate all you've done for me Crimson." She said.

"The feeling is mutual Weiss. At first I didn't think this was even a possibility especially after the meeting with your father. I..." I said before she covered my mouth.

"Crimson. I'm scared this isn't going to last much longer. You and Your team are amazing fighters. We don't know who you'll be paired against though. If another team knocks you out. I… I don't wanna lose you." She said.

"You won't one way or another we'll survive this." I said

"How sure of that are you?" she asked

"Well as much as I hate to admit it not very. I'd rather try staying hopeful though. If I worry about the negative outcome it has a better chance of happening right?" I asked

"I'm not sure it works that way." she said

"Probably not but I'm also not giving up that easily." I said

"But what if..." Was all she could say before I cut her off with a kiss.

"Weiss I know you're worried. You need to have faith. I can't explain why but I have this strong feeling everything will work out for us." I said

"Alright I trust you." She said. A few minutes of silence went by.

"I love you Weiss." I said. She didn't say it back and I got really worried I had messed up. I looked over at her and noticed she had fell asleep. I put her on my back and carried her back to her dorm. After a few terrible jokes from Yang I headed back to my room.

"So Skyler how was your day." I asked

"I ate pancakes and passed out. I'm still sore. I should be fine by morning though." She said.

"Alright." I said before climbing in bed myself. 'I wonder if Weiss actually heard me or not. Oh well I can ask her tomorrow.' I thought before passing out.

The next morning I got a rather rude awakening. I heard a loud whistle and nearly fell out of my bed.

"Morning lazy!" I heard a voice say. I looked up to see team RWBY in our room.

"It was Cerise's idea." Xana said

"Skyler's the one who told me about Ruby's whistle." Cerise said.

"I didn't think you'd pull something like this." Skyler said

"You've lived with me long enough to know I love watching other peoples misery. Especially our glorious leaders. You should have saw this coming" Cerise said.

"That's.. I mean.. Okay fair point." Skyler said.

"I tried to stop them." Weiss said.

"No you were laughing the whole way here." Blake asked.

"While also trying to tell you it was a bad idea." Weiss said trying to defend herself.

"Yeah but the laughing discredited it. Plus we all know you wanted an excuse to see him again after your 'adventure' last night." Yang said.

"I told you nothing happened!" Weiss yelled.

"Not with them at least. Xana came back fairly sweaty though" Cerise said

Both Yang and Xana blushed. "Nothing happened we were training." Yang said.

"Training endurance?" Cerise said

"N-No for the tournament." Xana said

"The room did smell oddly fresh when I got back last night." Cerise said

"Hey keep me out of this whatever Nora did I was passed out for." Skyler said turning red. "I realize that sounded worse than I meant it to."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ruby said actually confused.

I sighed. "Just ignore it Ruby. Although the greeting wasn't ideal I'm glad you guys are here." Everyone looked at me confused. I have a few ideas for giving our team a slight advantage in our fight against team CFVY.

(Sorry no Spoilers.)

Later that day Weiss, and I into town cause she said she needed to pick up a few things. We went to a few shops but she mostly just browsed.

"Weiss I can't help but notice this shopping trip has lacked in the shopping aspect." I said

"Yeah well I just haven't found what I'm looking for yet." She said

"Maybe if I knew what we were looking for I could help. None of the shops we've been to have had anything in common." I said

"Hey this is what you signed up for. Besides I don't know how to describe what I'm looking for." She said

"I missed the sign up part. I remember you grabbing my tail and pulling me outside telling me that we were going shopping." I said crossing my arms and smiling.

She turned towards me and kissed me. "You signed up when first we kissed at the dance."

"Damn legal… The contract came didn't it?" I said

"Y-yeah…" She said stepping away from me. "How did you figure it out?"

"I'm stupid not an idiot." I said

"That makes no sense." She said with a small chuckle.

"But you smiled a bit which is what I was going for. As far as how I found out. We've been walking around for hours now and you wouldn't tell me what we were looking for. I didn't catch it right away but I had a feeling something was up. When I was gonna make the legal joke it clicked." I said pulling Weiss towards me. She wouldn't look at me. "I'm not upset with you Weiss."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to try to have some fun with you first so it wouldn't put a damper on the rest of the day." She said

I flicked her on the forehead. "You dolt it's supposed to be the other way around. Boring legal stuff first then fun."

"Hey, that's my line. Again I'm sorry. Let's head to the coffee shop and get this over with." She said.

I kissed her and we wandered over that way. We looked over the paperwork to make sure there wasn't anything in there that wasn't supposed to be. Surprisingly there wasn't only the stuff we agreed to. Both of us expected him to throw something in there to screw me over. After triple checking it I signed it.

"Well now that that's over I have a question for you?" I asked

"Okay?" she said confused and a little worried.

"What is the last thing you remember from last night?" I asked

Her face turned a little red. "Umm why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious since I carried you back to your room. I don't know when you passed out so I'm just curious what the last thing you heard was." I said nervously.

"Umm. Well I… remember… I said I trusted you… and then…" She said really nervously.

"I said I lo…" She cut me off.

"I… I heard you. I just don't know if we should be saying that. With the circumstances." She said

"Do you feel the same way I do?" I asked.

"That's not the point Crimson." She said

"Weiss I know what the point is. I understand how you feel. I also would rather know how you feel. Rather than either waiting until the end of the tournament to find out or possibly never finding out." I said taking her hand. "I know there is a strong chance we may be forced to separate but I don't care. I'd rather enjoy the time I have."

"I don't get it though. How is it you can stay positive about this?" She asked.

"Do you remember the song I was singing my first day at Beacon?" I asked.

"If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback right?" She asked.

"Yeah. It doesn't seem like it's been that long since then. When I came here I was a mess. I got nervous over everything. I mean I still get nervous pretty easy but not near as bad. I even got over my fear of girls. Well most of them." I said smiling at that last part.

"Hey I'm not that bad… Am I?" she asked

"No Snow Angel just a joke. Anyway you listen to the lyrics of the song. It asks the questions. If today was your last day. Could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your last? Would you forgive your enemies? Would you find that one you're dreamin' of? Swear up and down to Oum above that you finally fall in love? Well before the incident in Emerald Forrest. I knew I wasn't happy. Things were slowly getting better but I wasn't happy. After that event when I was laying in the hospital bed I knew I wasn't happy. I knew I needed to focus on what was going to make me happy. The first step was tackling my fears. Since the biggest ones were ursa and, as embarrassing as this still is to say, girls. I took them on first. I took the words of that song to heart and realized if I died tomorrow I wasn't going to die happy. That's why I never actively tried to get revenge on Cardin for unintentionally putting me in the hospital. It wasn't worth it. I want to live with no regrets. I know more than likely the odds aren't in my favor. I don't care though. I'd rather spend what time we may or may not have together happy. Than to sulk and think about what might have been if this or that happened. I understand that might not be easy for you but I love you Weiss Schnee and I want you to know it. Regardless of how much time may or may not be left."

"But won't that make it harder if we are forced apart?" She asked.

"It'll be hard no matter what happens. Especially since we both know each others feelings anyway. Whether we say it or not won't change how much it may hurt. Like I said last night you need to have faith in me Weiss. I know the odds seem stacked against me but there is still a chance. I know you well enough to know that if I would win you're going kick yourself saying you should have had more faith in me instead of sulking the whole time." I said

"You're right. I'm still scared though so can you do me a favor?" She asked.

"Anything." I said.

"Actually two things. First please don't let me give up."

"Alright, and the other thing" I said

"Say the words with me." She said. I smiled and took her hands in mine.

"Alright" I said

"I love you."


	13. Chapter 13

We were up fairly early today going over the plans for today. We were all pretty nervous too. I had fought Coco before and knew how to handle her. The rest of the team was going to be the issue. I got a message from Coco saying we were gonna move our fight from the training hall to the amphitheater. We were confused at first but when we got there we understood fully. The place was packed with so many students.

"Yeah apparently a lot of students found out about the match you guys had with team RWBY. Combined with how popular we already were." Coco said.

"Damn near the whole school is here." Skyler said

"Not damn near. The whole school. Even the teachers and Ozpin are here to see it." Yatsuhashi said

"Oh awesome. No extra pressure there." I said

"Well think of it this way. The tournament is gonna be like this with even more people watching." Velvet said.

"Are we gonna talk or fight?" Fox said.

We I prepped my swords with lightning and fire dust. I looked towards my teammates. I don't think I've seen them this excited for a fight before. We began with Skyler rushing towards Velvet. Grabbing at her feet and spinning her in the air before throwing her towards Yatsuhashi. Xana used his semblance to take over Yatsuhashi. I dashed for Fox knowing I was the only one who'd be able to match his gauntlet's blades. Coco and Cerise swung their weapons at each other neither one able to land a hit on the other. Yatsuhashi hit Velvet out of the air with his sword and then charged towards Coco and Fox landing strong hits on both of them before the manipulation wore off. Cerise switched her focus to Yatsuhashi as did Skyler. Xana had managed to capture Velvet in his chains and swung her towards Fox and Coco to keep them distracted it wasn't long before Velvet's Aura had run out.

I signaled Xana so start our plan. While Cerise, Skyler and I stayed on Yatsuhashi, Fox and Coco respectively. Xana pulled out a small vial of green dust and poured it onto his kunai. The dust locked unto the new grooves that Ruby helped us with to make his weapon dust capable. He also was able to make his chains lock together to form one long chain. He linked his chains together and began swinging the chain slowly extending the chain out causing a tornado to form and grow in size the more chain he let out. The three of us dashed away from our opponents and Xana launched the tornado at them. Cerise and I were able to get a safe distance away but Skyler got swept up in it along with the remaining members of team CFVY.

We all knew there was a huge risk that we would get caught up in it with this plan but we all agreed to it. I switched to my guns and activated the dust chambers. I fired fire and lightning rounds into the tornado. Causing the tornado to surge with both fire and electricity. Not for long though as Yatsuhashi managed to get to the center of the storm and end it. Coco Fox and Skyler each took considerable damage and were all knocked out. Yatsuhashi lost quite a bit of aura as well but still had plenty of fight left. Xana separated his chains and launched them towards Yatsuhashi who caught them with his sword. He pulled Xana towards him and swiped at him. The force was enough to knock him out.

Cerise and I looked at each other knowing this was going to be a tough fight. Yatsuhashi has both a strength and defensive advantage over us. I switched back to my swords and charged at him. He blocked every one of my strikes. As well as anything Cerise hit him with. I backed off and activated my semblance hoping it would give me just enough of a strength boost. The extra aura was a good idea as well. I had an idea but there is a huge chance it's gonna bite me in the ass. I charged towards Cerise and kicked her in the head at full speed.

A large gasp came from the crowd as everyone thought I had just lost my mind. They weren't wrong but it was the only idea I had that might work. Yatsuhashi stayed on me afterwords and I blocked as much as I could. Luckily my semblance gave me enough of a boost to block easier. I saw Cerise moving and made sure to get distance from Yatsuhashi. The arena slowly got quieter and Cerise started moving. Cerise got up slowly dragging her hammer with her and laughing. Her laughter got louder as she rose. Yatsuhashi and I both knew what was happening and he now understood why I kicked my partner.

Cerise looked up at us and had the huge evil smile on her face. Her hammer changed to it's buzz saw mode. She charged at us swinging at both of us with her saw. Yatsuhashi was hardly able to block her attacks. I changed to my guns and fired at Yatsuhashi when Cerise wasn't targeting me. I knew this would happen but I knew it was our only chance to win. Yatsuhashi took one final swing towards me knocking me out. He left himself defenseless and Cerise tore though his aura finishing him off.

Cerise's blood lust had subsided when she saw we had both been knocked out. The arena was silent for a moment before erupting in cheers. Cerise looked down trying to hide her blush. Skyler was the first to run over to Cerise and hugged her. Xana and I Joined in shortly after. Coco and her team walked over to us while we were celebrating. We each shook hands and the crowd erupted again.

"Play to the crowd guys. You fight like that in the tournament and you'll have a good chance at winning." Coco said.

After the crowd had left teams RWBY and JNPR came down to congratulate us. All our professors and Ozpin came down to congratulate us as well.

"That was amazing! The upgrades worked better than I expected. Especially without having tested them beforehand." Ruby said.

"Yeah. Care to explain Freshman?" Coco asked.

"Sure I knew we'd have to step up our game in order to be able to beat you guys. So to start I asked Ruby to modify Xana's kunai to be dust compatible. That took a lot less convincing than I expected it too." I said

"That's cause Yang didn't give me a choice and took them from me." Xana said.

"Hey it worked didn't it?" Yang asked.

"Anyway. I pitched the idea of using wind dust to create a large tornado to hopefully trap you guys in. We knew in order for this plan to even have a chance we needed to knock one of you out as soon as possible. Since I'd seen you and Velvet in action personally I knew how to be able to take you out. So Cerise and I went after Yatsuhashi and Fox since they were wild cards. If we managed to take one of you out first we distracted the remaining long enough for Xana to create the tornado. This was the most difficult part. There was a large chance at least one of us if not all of us would be swept up into the tornado along with you guys. We all agreed if someone got swept up we were willing to sacrifice ourselves. The next part depended on who got caught. We weren't expecting anyone to come out of it. So fighting Yatsuhashi at the end we didn't have any strategy. So I decided to go for the suicide shot. I'd like to say I learned day one not to piss off Cerise but I didn't. So I kicked her in the head at full speed. I figured as long as it didn't deplete her aura it would piss her off enough to send her into rage mode. I'm just thankful Yatsuhashi knocked me out before she got a chance to attack me." I said.

"I'm still gonna get payback for that one." Cerise said.

"Noted." I said.

"Alright so what if Xana was the only one to not get caught?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"Nice try not gonna reveal that part." I said

"You didn't have a plan for that did you?" Fox asked.

"We had a plan for that. It just wouldn't have worked after watching Yatsuhashi escape." I said.

"Then why don't you share it?" Coco asked.

"Because the tournament is coming up. There is always a chance that any of us could end up fighting each other. Can't give away all our secrets." I said.

"We had a plan. Like Crimson said Yatsuhashi escaping wasn't factored. We had plans for whoever didn't get sucked in. If Skyler Crimson and I had all been taken We'd have lost." Cerise said. Coco seemed satisfied with her response.

"Well you guys deserve a reward for that performance. How about we celebrate in our dorm tonight?" Coco asked.

"What are you guys thinking?" Skyler asked.

"Well considering Vel is participating in that singing competition tomorrow we probably shouldn't go to overboard. How about we just have a movie night again?" Coco asked. "Of course you guys are invited too." She said looking towards team RWBY and JNPR.

"Sounds good." Skyler said.

"Well in that case we should probably head out. I'll have to start making pancakes since I know Nora is gonna beg me anyway." Ren said.

"Absolutely!" Nora said.

As team JNPR walked out I heard Nora mention something about a deal to Jaune but I didn't catch the rest of the conversation.

Team RWBY was in charge of drinks. We offered to bring something but Coco insisted that since it was a victory party for us that we weren't allowed to bring anything. Eventually she gave in and said we could bring a movie. In the end it was decided that each team would bring one movie. About an hour later everyone except team JNPR had arrived at team CFVY's dorm. When they arrived Pyrrha and Ren entered first. Pyrrha's face was very red.

"Ladies and gentleman! Allow me to introduce. Pyrrha's new girlfriend Ms. Jaune Arc!" Nora said entering the room and gesturing towards the doorway.

Jaune slowly entered the room wearing a white dress. We all stood in silence before Cerise burst out laughing followed by Ruby. Slowly the entire room except for Pyrrha was laughing.

"I thought I heard something about a deal but I wasn't expecting this. I feel so bad for Pyrrha." I said.

"Nora and I made a wager on who would win between you guys. I lost so I had to wear a dress for a day. If she lost she wasn't allowed to eat Ren's pancakes for a week." Jaune said.

"That doesn't seem like a very fair punishment." Blake said.

"Yeah sounds like a worse punishment for Nora." Yang added.

"I have to wear it for a week." Jaune said.

"Jaune if it makes a difference. You make a very pretty girl." I said.

"I hate you." Jaune said.

 **(Instead of changing the names of the movies and actors like I did this time I'm just gonna list the real names. I struggled enough last time.)**

After everything was set up we started the movies. We started with team CFVY's movie The Crow starring Brandon Lee. Most of us wanted to leave that one for last but Ruby and Velvet's puppy dog eyes made us watch it first. Next was team JNPR's pick of Small Soldiers. A few of us remembered watching it when we were kids so it was a nice nostalgia trip for us. Then we realized it wasn't as much of a kids movie as we remembered. Next was our pick of Now You See Me. We were all amazed at the magic that happened during the movie. Finally was Team RWBY's pick of The Princess Bride. After it was decided that we were watching The Crow first the girls insisted that we watched this one last instead. Most of the guys myself included weren't excited about it. By the end of the movie we all agreed it was the right choice to finish up the night. Those of us that were in relationships were cuddled up next to each other. I looked around at everyone at a few times and caught Velvet taking glaces at Ruby. Ruby would do the same thing towards Cerise. Yatsuhashi fell asleep. Fox passed out during the first movie. Ren kept to himself for the most part.

After we cleaned up Xana said he was spend a little time with Yang. Cerise Skyler and I headed back to our room. After we got back Cerise got a message on her scroll. She grabbed my tail and pulled it really hard.

"What did you do?" Cerise asked.

"I got in bed I don't think that requires being attacked right away." I said confused.

"Why does Ruby wanna talk to me on the roof." She asked.

"Shouldn't you be asking her that?" I said finally getting my tail back.

"What did you do?" She asked again.

"I didn't do anything I haven't talked to her since the fight." I said

"Your serious?" She asked.

"Yes. Whatever she wants to talk to you about I have no idea. I know better than to lie to you especially after that kick." I said.

"Alright. If I find out you had something to do with this though you're in for a world of hurt." She said heading out the door.

"Do you actually know what's going on?" Skyler asked.

"I have a guess but I didn't have anything to do with it." I said.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I think Ruby has a crush on Cerise." I said.

"Ahh. I see. Can I talk to you about something?" She asked.

"Sure what's up?" I asked.

She was quiet for a while before speaking. "Do you... think I should break up with Nora... for Ren?"

"Why?" I asked. I had noticed he seemed off since they had gotten together. I guess she had to.

"I try to act like I haven't noticed, but ever since me and Nora got together he just seems like he's depressed. He clearly liked her and I took her from him. I'm... I wonder if... Maybe she should be with him..." She said holding her legs to her chest. "I love her but..."

"I'm not sure what to tell you Skyler." I said. I walked over and sat next to her. "I know it was a shock for me when I heard Ruby had feelings for Weiss. We were both worried about her but she seemed to get over it fairly easily. Although I'm worried how it's going with her and Cerise right now."

"I know... after I found her that night I felt so bad. The way she felt was what I was afraid of when I kissed Nora at the dance. I didn't know her all that well but with what I know of her now. I think back and see how someone as strong, kind and gentle as her was so vulnerable." She said.

"I think you and Ren are the only one's who could handle being with Nora. Her and Ren grew up together and you two are so alike. Clearly Nora has feelings for Ren since they grew up together and only had each other for the longest time. But I've known her longer than you and I can honestly say that I've never seen Nora happier than when she's with you."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure there was a connection between the two for a long time that neither one of them wanted to admit for fear it would ruin their friendship if the other didn't feel the same. She was instantly drawn to you though." I said

"I guess I didn't think about that. What if he had said something though. Would she still have chosen me?" She asked.

"Have you talked to either of them about this?" I asked.

"No. I try not to think about it when I'm with Nora cause I don't wanna worry her about it. But every time I see Ren I can see he's hurting. Either he hides it better for everyone else or no one else is thinking about it." She said as she started crying. "I feel like a horrible person. He loved her and I ripped her away from him."

I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry on me. "You're not a horrible person. A horrible person wouldn't be crying like this worried she did the wrong thing."

"What do I do?" She asked.

"The decision is yours to make. Before you do though think about this. Your more than likely right I'm pretty sure Ren is hurting because of this. Nora probably would be extremely hurt if you decided to end things and there is a good chance it will ruin your friendship. I don't think Ren would and Nora would get together. Ren cares deeply for Nora but he see's how happy she is around you. It hurts him but I think he's okay just knowing she's happy." I said.

"You're probably right. Thank you Crimson. I still feel so bad for him though." She said.

"I know. Maybe you should talk to Ren alone." I said.

"I think I will. I'm gonna wait till after the competition tomorrow though. I entered for the chance to sing with the Fighting Faunus." She said.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but you gotta beat me first." I said.

She pushed me off the bed and smiled a bit. "You need to stick to the battlefield monkey boy. This competition is mine."

"You wish." I said.

She started laughing a bit. "Thanks again Crimson."

A couple minutes later Cerise came back.

"Your off the hook with me Crimson. She assured me that you had nothing to do with this. We have another issue on our hands. Ruby admitted her feelings for me. I let her down as best as I could but I saw her heart shatter again. I don't think the poor girl can take another rejection." Cerise said.

"Poor Ruby..." Skyler said.

"This is gonna sound bad but I don't think we have anything to worry about." I said.

"Why do you say that?" Cerise asked.

"I don't wanna jinx anything. Let's wait till after the competition tomorrow. We just need to make sure Ruby is there." I said.

"That won't be hard she's in it. We signed up together." Skyler said.

"Then we shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just in case though I'm gonna message Weiss and ask how she's doing." I said.

The next day came fast. When Skyler and I got backstage we met up we saw Ruby, Velvet, Jaune and Ren getting ready.

"I didn't expect to see Ren back here. You go check on Ruby I'm gonna go talk to him." I said.

"Alright. Don't mention what we talked about please." Skyler said.

"I won't." I said before walking towards Ren and Jaune.

"Didn't expect to see you guys back here. Jaune aren't you missing something?" I asked noticing he didn't have his dress on.

"Pyrrha convinced Nora to let it be only the one night." Jaune said.

"Nora was the only one enjoying it anyway." Ren said.

"Not at all I enjoyed it very much. I'm pretty sure Cerise and Ruby did also." I said.

"Ha ha very funny." Jaune said.

"I thought it was. Anyway can I talk to Ren alone for a bit?" I asked.

Jaune and Ren both looked at me confused. Jaune nodded and walked over towards Ruby.

"What's up Crimson." Ren asked.

"Are you okay man? It seems like ever since Nora and Skyler got together you've been down." I said

"I'm alright. I wish I had said something but there is nothing I can do about it now. I appreciate the concern but really I'm okay." He said.

"Alright man if you say so." I said. I could tell it hurt to talk about but he was sincere. We joined the others and I gave Skyler a thumbs up.

Professor Ozpin came out on stage and announced that Shade was the MC for the competition. After a couple students Skyler was the first from our group to perform.

 **(Cue Legends Never Die by Against the Current)**

She had the best reaction of the night so far.

"Top that monkey boy." She said. Conveniently my name was called next.

"Alright I will." I said walking out on stage.

 **(Cue The Touch by Stan Bush [1985 Version])**

The crowd reacted about the same as Skyler's performance.

"And Topped." I said walking up to her.

"No way mine was totally better." she said.

"Whatever you need to tel yourself." I said

After a few more performances it was Ren's turn

 **(Cue Just a Dream by Nelly [Nightcore])**

He got a bigger reaction than both of us. As soon as he stepped backstage Skyler ran up to him crying and hugged him.

"I am so sorry Ren. I wanted to wait till after to talk to you. I feel so bad." She said.

He smiled and hugged her back. "It's alright. Just promise to take care of her."

"I promise." She said.

Next up was Jaune.

 **(Cue Wings of a Butterfly- HIM)**

We were all surprised by how well Jaune sang.

"Dude that was impressive. First glance I'd have never guessed you were a singer." I said

"Seven sisters will do that. I had to sing the younger ones to sleep some nights." he said

Ruby was called shortly after. She took a deep breath and stepped though the curtain. As she stood there ready I saw her normal happy expression change to one of anger.

 **(Cue Someone who Cares by Three Days Grace)**

During the song we all looked at each other. Skyler and new better than any of us she was hurting really bad. As soon as she stepped though the curtain her expression changed back to her normal happy self. I walked up to her and hugged her.

Velvet's name was called as the final contestant.

 **(Cue Outta My Head by Theory of a Deadman)**

She got the loudest reaction of anyone. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who knew the hidden meaning of the song. The only question was was I right on who it was for.

"Alright. Thank you to all the amazing acts we had. It's time to announce the winners. Third place is a Tie between Skyler Diischer and Crimson Vayr. Second place goes to Lie Ren. Finally the winner is Velvet Scarletina!" Shade said. The crowd erupted in cheers again. "Velvet if you would return to the stage I believe you owe these wonderful people an encore."

Velvet started walking out on stage. Most of the contestants started leaving. I blocked Ruby from leaving.

"Why are you stopping me?" she asked.

"Don't you wanna support Velvet?" I asked.

"Can't you just tell her I said congratulations? I promised Weiss if I lost I would head right back to study with her." She said.

I heard the music start. "Ruby I'll handle Weiss I think you should go watch Velvet."

She gave a small sigh. "Alright but she better not yell at me."

I walked her over to the curtain just in time for Velvet to start singing.

 **(Cue Lady in Red by Chris De Burgh)**

"I know you've been though a lot the past few days Ruby. I know I'm partially responsible for that. I'm really sorry. I..." Ruby put her hand over my mouth.

"Thank you for stopping me." She said.

Once the song was over the crowd erupted once again. Velvet turned to head off stage when she saw Ruby standing at the curtain. Once I saw Velvet facing us I pointed to Ruby. Velvet shook her head yes. Ruby dashed out and hugged Velvet. Making the crowd cheer louder.

"I'm guessing this is what you meant last night when you said we didn't have to worry about her?" Skyler asked me.

"Yeah." I said.

"Did Weiss really make her promise to study if she lost?" Skyler asked.

"Yes, but she was also in on it." I said.

"I'm happy for her." She said.

"So am I. I'm glad things worked out with you and Ren." I said.

"Same. I still feel bad for him though." She said.

"Me too. Were still young though I'm sure eventually he'll find someone." I said.

"There is still Cerise." She said.

"Are you kidding I'm pretty sure just saying that she'll wanna kill us both." I said.

"Good point. How about Coco?" She asked.

"Somehow I doubt it. Who knows maybe next year a first year will catch his eye the way you did Nora's." I said.

"Maybe. Everyone deserves to be happy. He has defiantly earned it." She said.

"Ruby too." I said.

"Yeah." She said.


	14. Chapter 14

I could hardly sleep last night same with the rest of my team. Today was the first day of the Vytal Festival. We met up with team's RWBY and CFVY in JNPR's dorm. By the time we got there Team RWBY was already there. Ren and Blake were in the kitchen making pancakes. Jaune was getting coffee pots ready. Guess everyone else slept about as well as we did. Team CFVY arrived shortly after.

"Look alive ladies! Today's the day we've been training for." She said.

"Nora we don't graduate for another three years." Jaune said.

"Not that. The Vytal Festival! Time to show the world that team JNPR is the best!" She said.

"Hate to disagree with you but that title is going to us." I said.

"That's what you think. Team RWBY is gonna kick all your asses!" Yang said.

"Didn't we already beat you girls once?" Xana asked.

"And JNPR twice." Skyler said.

"Once. The first was a tie." Ren said.

"Fine one and a half." Skyler said again.

"We also beat team CFVY." Cerise said.

"Yeah but you also said you basically got lucky." Weiss added.

"Semantics. We still won." I said.

Yeah. but eventually your teams luck is gonna run out. That's when were gonna swoop in and beat you." Ruby said.

"Sorry but if anyone is gonna beat them it's going to be us." Pyrrha said

"No. If anyone is getting revenge it's gonna be us." Coco said.

"You guys do remember that there will be other schools we have to go though first right?" Blake asked.

"Ha. Your really worried about the other schools. Our team is made up of people who left those places. And now were the most dominant team at this school." Cerise said.

"Hey Crimson's lied about the reason he's here how do we know the rest of you aren't." Weiss said.

"Really you bring that up now?" I said.

"Guys I hate to break up the conversation but we should probably finish getting ready the tournament will be starting soon." Ren said.

After we finished eating we headed to the airships to take us to the tournament arena. We had missed a couple matches by the time we arrived at the arena. Team RWBY was the first of our group to fight. They faced off against team ABRN from Haven academy. They fought in an awesome looking fire and ice arena.

"Hey Cerise you were from Haven right anything you can tell us about them?" Coco asked.

"Reese used to be on my team. She's really mellowed out since then. The rest of our team split off but she was the only one to stay at Haven. She used to be a lot more violent back then. New team must have had a real impact on her." Cerise said.

"Think Yang and her team stand a chance?" Xana asked.

"Hard to say. Reese was a powerhouse back then. It could be a tough fight for them." Cerise said.

Reese was eliminated shortly after when Blake tricked her with a shadow clone.

"I said she was strong not smart." Cerise said.

We watched as team RWBY worked together to take the rest of the team out.

"Your girlfriend just finished that team off with one punch man." I said.

"Hell Yeah! That's my girl!" Xana said leaping from his chair.

We headed to the Festival area to congratulate them. Xana and I rushed our girlfriends. We both threw them in the air and sat them on our shoulders showing them off.

"A-alright that's enough guys." Weiss said blushing.

"Speak for yourself Ice Queen I'm liking getting treated like a celebrity for once. Yang said.

I put Weiss down and hugged her.

"You girls were amazing out there." I said.

"Thanks Crimson. Ruby said.

"So I think we got some time to kill before JNPR's match anything you guys wanna do?" Skyler asked.

As if on cue Blake's stomach growled loudly.

"I think we have our answer." Cerise said.

"I know just the place." Yang said leading us away.

"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this." Said a green haired girl holding Ruby's wallet. Immediately followed by her freaking out checking her dress. The green haired girl laughed. "Good to see you Ruby."

"Oh. Thanks Emerald. Guess I dropped it." Ruby said putting her wallet back in her pocket.

"Ruby care to introduce us to your friend here?" I said.

"Oh. Sorry I thought you guys met during the attack in the city. This is Emerald Sustrai. Her and her team are from Haven." Ruby said.

"Crimson Vary. These are my teammates Xana Scherr, Skyler Diischer, and Cerise Pierce." I said holding my hand out. She accepted it. "I think I remember seeing you and a silver haired guy during the attack."

"Yeah that was my teammate Mercury Black." She said pointing to the guy sniffing a shoe. "Good in a fight but otherwise really socially awkward."

"So what about your other teammates?" I asked.

"They went back to the room to rest a bit. They should be out here later at some point." She said.

"So your team must have won your match then?" I asked.

"Yep Mercury and I are moving on to the next round. What about you guys?" Emerald asked looking towards Ruby.

"Well, as the leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision." Ruby said.

"We put it to a vote." Weiss said.

"Y-yes, but I decided that we should put it to a vote." Ruby said trying to convince us it was her idea.

"We voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake said.

"I will happily represent Team RWBY." Weiss said curtsying.

"Yeah, we're going to kick some ass!" Yang said pounding her fists together.

"Awesome. Just remember we won't be going easy on any of you." Emerald said.

"Looking forward to it." I said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang said.

"Alright were gonna go check out a few more fights." Emerald said walking away.

Yang started leading us again.

"I don't trust her." Cerise said.

"What do you mean? She seemed nice enough to me." Skyler said.

"Something about her seems off. Also I have a strange feeling she isn't actually from Haven." Cerise said.

"Maybe she joined after you left. If the headmaster there is anything like you said he probably just accepts anyone." Xana said.

"Something about her seemed off to me too. Same with her team. They seemed to show up out of nowhere during the attack and it was only the same two." I said.

"Guys I'm sure your worrying over nothing." Ruby said.

Cerise and I looked at each other with concern. We arrived at the noodle stand Yang was leading us to. Xana and I sat next to our girlfriends while everyone else packed the sides.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, and so will he." She said pointing to Xana. Suddenly a giant bowl of noodles was placed in front of them both.

"Ooh, I'll take the same." Ruby said.

"Ditto." I said. Two bowl were placed in front of us.

"Do you have anything with a low salt..." Weiss said as another bowl was placed in front of her. "Umm okay?"

Blake just nodded to the shop owner. He nodded back and in a flash he brought out a bowl full of fish and noodles. Blake practically began to drool at the sight of it.

"I think I'll just have what everyone else had." Skyler said.

"Same." Cerise said. The same bowls were places in front of them.

Weiss held out her card to pay for the meal. I pulled her hand back and pulled mine out instead.

"What do you think your doing?" Weiss asked.

"Well when one pulls out a card and hands it to a shop owner usually it's to pay for something. I would think you of all people would know that dear." I said trying to hold back my laughter.

"I know that! I mean why are you paying?" She asked.

"I can't congratulate my girlfriend and her team?" I asked.

"You sure you got enough for all of us Crimson?" Ruby asked.

"Easily. He's loaded." Weiss said.

"Of course the rich girl finds the rich guy. Why couldn't that happen to me." Yang said.

"Well I feel insulted." Xana said.

"I was kidding. Kinda. You know I love you." Yang said hugging her boyfriend.

"Mind if we join you guys?" Pyrrha asked as her team walked up.

"Of course not." I said. "Put them on my bill also."

"Feeling generous today?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well let's just call it pre-celebrating. Since I'm guessing after today all of us are gonna need a lot of sleep for the next round." I said.

"Little over confident aren't you?" Ren said.

"Nope. The three of you were powerhouses from the time I met you. Jaune on the other hand wasn't. Since that day with Cardin something finally lit a fire in him and he's become way stronger." I said.

Everyone nodded in agreement before digging in to their meals. Team JNPR soon left for their match. We talked for a bit before heading off to go watch them. They faced off with team BRNZ from Shade academy. The arena for this fight was a mountain and a forest.

"Skyler any info on this team?" I asked.

"May tried to fight me on the first day that's about it."

"Why?" I asked.

"I may have accidentally landed on her when I jumped down from the rafters at the entrance ceremony." She said rubbing her neck.

"How do you accidentally land on someone?" Blake asked.

"When I jumped down she wasn't there. Before I had a chance to react she was there. She thought I attacked her. I tried to explain and say I was sorry but she wouldn't listen. Pretty sure she still hates me." Skyler said.

"Uh guys they stopped fighting." Cerise said.

We looked to see team JNPR arguing about something amongst themselves.

"Hey!" A member of the opposing team yelled causing JNRP to look at them confused. "What do you think your doing?"

"Team meeting back off!" Jaune yelled back.

"Yeah team ears only!" Nora yelled.

"Were in the middle of a fight!" The other member yelled back.

"And were in the middle of a conversation! I said back off!" Jaune yelled.

Pyrrha said something to Jaune that seemed to bring him back to reality. Jaune sighed and said something that made Nora get an evil grin on her face. She jumped in front of them and slammed the whole opposing team hard with her hammer. Eliminating them all at once.

"Holy." I said.

"Shit." Xana finished.

Skyler launched herself in the air. "Yes! That's my girl!" If it wasn't for the force field she probably would have flown right down to her,

"Skyler you can celebrate later were next!" I yelled to her.

Weiss and Yang kissed me and Xana for luck before we headed out.

"Next up we have a favorite of Beacon Academy team CCSX. This team is made up from members from all over Remnant!" Professor Port said over the speakers.

"That's right Xana is from Atlas, Cerise is from Haven, Skyler is from Shade. And of course their leader Crimson is from here at Beacon." Doctor Oobleck said.

"Truly a world class team." Professor Port said.

"Quite, and facing off against them will be team SSSN." Doctor Oobleck said.

"Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, and although he'll be representing the Mistral Academy of Haven, I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo will be cheering him along!" Professor Port said.

"Hang on guys check this out." I said pulling out my scroll. The announcers cut out and it was silent for a couple minutes except for some confused murmuring from the crowd. Suddenly a song started playing over the speakers.

(Cue Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold.)

"Alright now walk out looking as bad ass as possible." I said

We walked out and to the center of the area to see Sun standing shocked.

"How the hell did you do that?" Sun asked.

"Friend of mine hacked into the PA system." I said as the music faded out and Professor Port regained control.

"You have other friends?" Cerise asked.

"Well not so much I have friends but Shade does. He's got a mercenary he used to run with on occasion named Carmine. He's got a program on his scroll that hacked into the school with ease." I said.

"Just how did you convince him to do that?" Xana asked.

"And when your either with us or Weiss all the time." Skyler asked.

"Look I'll answer all your questions later. First we need to take down Sun's team."

"Ha. Good luck with that." Sun said.

The random terrain spinners lit up. A desert mountain appears behind us.

"Wow reminds me of home." Skyler said.

"Hey me too." Skyler said.

An ocean terrain appeared on the other side. Neptune looked at it and froze.

"Dude look at the sweet ship." Xana said.

"Yo Neptune you okay?" I asked.

"Um y-yeah n-no problem." He said nervously.

"Three, Two, One, Begin!" Doctor Oobleck said. Neptune immediately rushed to the top of the mountain on our side.

"Neptune! What are you doing!" Sage yelled out.

"Uh, you know, just gaining the higher ground!" Neptune yelled to his team.

"On the enemy's side!" Sun yelled.

"They would never expect it!" Neptune yelled.

"He's not wrong." Xana said.

"Skyler and Cerise. You take care of Neptune. Xana and I will handle the other three." I said.

"Three on two? You sure about that?" Sun said getting ready.

"Actually it's more like five on two." Xana said.

Sage Scarlet and Sun looked confused as Sun began to glow green along with Xana. Sun glowed gold and summoned two clones of himself. His clones both landed a hard punch on Sage and Scarlet. Xana loaded up with wind dust while I activated the fire and lightning dust in my guns. I changed to my fire sword and went after Scarlet. Sun's cloned went after Sage and distracted him long enough for Xana to wrap him in his chains.

Skyler took of after Neptune. Cerise ran to the mountain and began launching loose rocks towards him with her semblance. It distracted him long enough for Skyler to sweep his legs and launch him at the ground towards Cerise. Cerise readied her hammer and slammed him towards the ship. He crashed into it hard and landed right in the water below it. Neptune got up and immediately started freaking out. Climbing to the top of the ship and holding on to it tight. The whole arena erupted in laughter.

Sun came out of the manipulation just in time to see Neptune get launched. He mumbled something under his breath as the arena started laughing.

Skyler picked up Cerise and flew her at full speed towards the distracted Sun. Cerise slammed her hammer into Sun launching him out of the arena.

"Sun Wukong has been eliminated." Professor Port said.

Scarlet and I traded sword strikes and gun shots. Blocking everything perfectly. The embers from my sword were slowly draining his aura. Surprisingly the electricity from my gunshots weren't affecting him at all. Skyler joined in and started swinging her sickles at Scarlet. Draining his aura faster as he wasn't able to keep up with all of our strikes. I switched my gun to it's sword mode to keep the pressure up. Eventually we pushed him back towards the ship cornering him. Not being able to block four blades coming at him his aura dropped into the red in a matter of minutes.

"Scarlet David had been eliminated!" Doctor Oobleck said.

"Three down one to go." I said fist bumping Skyler.

Cerise had taken over for Xana and started attacking Sage. They were equally matched with their giant weapons. Cerise had the slight advantage her force was just strong enough to push him back slowly. Xana had backed off to prepare a tornado. He formed a rather smaller one but just big enough it would be able to incapacitate Sage. I switched to my guns and fired at the tornado as it was being launched towards Sage. Cerise backed off as he was enveloped in the vortex. The mix of fire and electricity dropped his aura considerably. Skyler Threw her boomerang at Sage knocking the last of his aura out.

"Sage Ayana had been eliminated." Professor Port said.

Thinking we had won Skyler and I began celebrating with Cerise joining shortly after.

"Guys look out!" Xana yelled.

Before any of us could react Neptune threw his trident down at the water shocking the three of us. Depleting our auras.

"Crimson Vayr, Skyler Diischer, and Cerise Pierce. Have been eliminated!" Doctor Oobleck said.

"Shit I thought we eliminated him." Skyler said.

"Finish him Xana!" I yelled.

Neptune was celebrating on the ship before realizing something very bad and very important. His weapon was surrounded by water. Xana summoned up multiple small tornadoes and launched them at the water. The water fused with the tornadoes and eventually began forming with each other to create a giant water twister. Xana used the distraction to wrap his chains around Neptune's trident and pull it towards himself. Xana grabbed it and launched it towards Neptune who was to scared to notice. The trident knocked him off the ship and finished off his aura.

"Neptune Vasilias has been eliminated! The winner is team CCSX!" Professor Port said.

The crowd erupted in cheers. The three of us ran over to Xana.

"Holy shit Xana finally ends a match on top." I said high fiving him.

"That was awesome!" Skyler said hugging him.

We headed back to the locker room to me met with Yang and Blake. Yang tackled Xana while Blake consoled Sun.

"Hey great match out there." Sun said holding out his hand. "If it wasn't for a certain someone's fear of water it probably would have had a different outcome."

I shook his hand. "I seriously doubt it but I do have one question. How the hell does he shower? The water in that area was hardly knee level?"

"Don't ask. It's a challenge." Sun said.

"So where is Weiss? I figured she would have come to congratulate me with you guys." I asked.

"She ran off towards the courtyard with Ruby following her. She said she'll make it up to you later." Blake said.

"I'm sure it'll be a nice banana split." Yang said.

"Dude that sounds awesome! Blake were gonna go get ice cream." Sun said pulling Blake along. The rest of us just burst out laughing. Before heading out ourselves.

"So who you guys taking to the next round?" Yang asked.

"I'm definitely going on. Xana should probably go too with his amazing victory today. Plus his semblance can give us a massive edge." I said.

"You just wanna show off for me and Weiss again." Yang said punching my arm.

"Ha. If you two haven't dumped us by now your not gonna." Xana said.

"Watch it buddy the night is still young." Yang said.

"Y-yes mam." Xana said.

The rest of us just started laughing. My scroll went off with a message from Weiss. 'Hey I need you to come to the courtyard... my sister wants to meet you.'


	15. Chapter 15

By the time I got to the Courtyard a crowd had already formed in the center. I pushed myself though and found Ruby and Weiss at the front of the group.

"So someone wanna explain what's going on?" I asked.

"Ruby's crazy uncle showed up and started attacking my sister for no reason!" Weiss yelled.

"And he's totally kicking her butt!" Ruby yelled.

"He is not!" Weiss yelled.

The two figures landed in front of us. One was a woman dressed in a white and gray uniform and had long white hair. I assumed this was Weiss' sister. The other one was... Qrow?! The woman charged a glyph similar to Weiss' and rushed at Qrow before she was stopped in her tracks.

"Schnee!" A voice rang out from behind us. I turned to see General Ironwood standing with a couple of robot guards and a girl with orange hair. She wore a whitish-gray blouse with what looked like a darker gray overall skirt with green markings on it.

"General Ironwood, sir." She said saluting.

"What in the world do you think your doing?" Ironwood said.

"He started the altercation, sir." She said.

"That's actually not true, She attacked first." Qrow said.

'I can't help but think I've heard something like this before.' I thought

"Is that right?" Ironwood asked. The woman held her head in shame. She knew he was right. "And you." Ironwood turned his attention to Qrow. "What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow said.

"I..." Ironwood started to say before being interrupted.

"Now, now everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum that I can assure you has better seats. And popcorn." Ozpin said.

"Break it up everyone!" Professor Goodwitch yelled. "We will take care of this mess."

"Let's go." Ironwood said leading Weiss's sister, The orange haired girl and all the robots away.

Ruby, Weiss and I pushed out way though the remaining crowd. Ruby and the orange haired girl waved to each other. Ruby then jumped at her uncle and attached herself to his arm.

"So I thought your sister wanted to meet me?" I asked.

"Yeah I kinda jumped the gun on that one. By the time I sent that message she had said it would be after her meeting." Weiss said. She seemed really worried about something.

"You're worried what she's going to say about us aren't you." I asked.

"Of course I am. I've always looked up to my sister she was my role model for the longest time. I'm worried that she's going to reject this just like father." Weiss said.

I put my arm around her and we started walking away from the scene. "Weiss I know you have a lot of weight on your shoulders. This might not be what you want to hear. It seems like you still worry too much about what others think of you. That you need to be the definition of perfection." She was about to interrupt me but I stopped her. "I understand you were raised that way. That you had all these things expected of you. The problem is you think you need to please every one else and don't worry about what you want to do."

"That's not true. If it were I'd have never come to Beacon in the first place." She said.

"True but from what I heard for the longest time you still had to be perfect all the time. You yelled at Ruby for accidentally falling on your luggage. You got mad at her for just about everything she did. You even said she was a terrible leader when she was trying to help you." I said.

"She was always messing around." She said.

"She's younger than us of course she's gonna screw around." I stopped and took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is you thought you had to be on top because of your name and how you were raised. I know that couldn't have been easy. The choices you've made since since then show me that you have changed considerably. However you still worry so much about everything wanting everything to be perfection. I thought when you were about to give up everything for me that it had changed. That you didn't care what anyone thought anymore. That you were gonna live the way you wanted."

"Then you told me not to." She reminded me.

"I also told you to have faith in me. I know I'm not perfect I'm the furthest thing from it. I was stupid and put us in this whole situation to begin with. Honestly there are a lot of days I think I'm still in that hospital dreaming. Look I know we care deeply for each other, but I really think you can change the company for the better. I want you to do it your way though not the way he or anyone else tells you. That's why I told you not to give up your position as heiress. Regardless if I'm at your side or not. You may not think so but that position is more important than me." I said.

"Will you stop! You are the most important thing in my life! I don't care about the position, and I don't care what my father thinks anymore. The only reason I'm worried about Winter is because I want at least one person in my family to be happy for me. I feel like she's my last hope. Father clearly doesn't care about anything other than money. My brother is to much like my father, and hates me and my sister. And my mother is usually to drunk to feel anything anymore. I feel like an outcast in my own family. I just want one person to be proud of me for being who I want to be. Crimson I love you. I can't imagine my life without you in it. I just don't want my whole family to hate me." She said. She wrapped her arms around me. "Winter's opinion won't change anything between us. I promise." Our scrolls went off at the same time. I got a message from Ruby saying her uncle wanted to talk to me for some reason.

"Hey Ruby wants me to head to your dorm apparently Qrow needs to talk to me about something." I said.

"First off why would Ruby's uncle need to talk to you?" She asked.

"He's the teacher the helped me get into Beacon in the first place." I said.

"That man is a teacher?!" She said.

"Yep. So is Ruby's dad." I said.

"Anyway it'll have to wait. My sister just messaged me saying she's done with her meeting." She said.

"Great timing on that one. Alright I'll message Ruby back and tell her I'm busy right now and I'll get back to her when I'm free." I said messaging her.

We headed to a open area adjacent to the school. Winter was already waiting for us at one of the table set up. Weiss bowed to her sister when we approached.

"It's nice to see you again winter. I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend Crimson." She said gesturing to me.

I bowed as well. "It's nice to meet you."

"You as well. Please sit both of you." Winter said. We took our seats. "To start father told me about the meeting you had with him. I don't condone the way it was handled. However I know he tends to overreact about things that don't go in his favor. I would like to hear your side of the situation."

Weiss and I explained the situation from our point of view.

"I see. As I said I don't condone your actions. However I don't disapprove of them either. What I have an issue with is that you were so reckless in your match today. I wanted to see your combat skills myself if you planned to risk your relationship on them. You got overconfident and let your guard down. You were lucky your teammate was able to end the match with a win." Winter said.

"Your right. I have no excuse for that. I saw him fly past and focused on my fight assuming he had been eliminated. I never confirmed it. It was a huge error on my part and I wont be letting it happen again." I said.

"Good. I want you to know unlike father I have nothing against you or this relationship. However. If you do anything to bring harm to my sister you will have to face my wrath." She said.

"I don't intend to harm her. However if that would happen I will accept my fate." I said.

"Good. Now about your admita..." Winter said before being cut off.

"There you are kid." A voice said. I turned to see Qrow walking over towards us. "So busy is a tea party with the Ice Queen and Princess here?"

"What do you want now Qrow can't you see we were in the middle of something here?" Winter asked.

"Well if you must know I told Crimson here that I needed to talk to him, and the next thing I know he's here having social hour." Qrow said.

"Alright everyone just calm down!" I yelled.

"Seriously we don't need you two fighting again." Weiss said.

"Why is Crimson so important to you anyway?" Winter asked.

"Oh I don't know maybe because if it wasn't for me he wouldn't even be here. Why is he so special to you?" Qrow asked.

"Because he's dating my sister." Winter said.

Qrow started laughing. "Kid I don't know whether to be impressed or call you an idiot."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Winter said.

"Oh my Oum is that how Ruby and I sound when we argue?" Weiss whispered.

"Pretty close. Although there is less alcohol involved." I whispered.

"Anyway what do you mean your the reason he's here?" Winter asked.

"The kid wasn't accepted to any of the Academies. I pulled some strings to have Oz let him in."

"As much as I hate to admit it that was what we were just about to go over. Why wasn't he accepted? From what I've read he was exceptional in battle and his grades were above average." Winter asked.

"Yeah that stuff is nice unless you have a mental condition." Qrow said bluntly.

"What?" Winter asked confused.

"That's a little harsh don't you think?" Weiss asked.

"It's fine. I mean it's not like he's wrong. You saw it yourself. I ended up face to face with an ursa and had a panic attack that nearly killed me." I said.

"You what!" Qrow and Winter said in unison.

"Yeah. We had a class trip to collect some sap for professor peach. A bully I had... previously angered." I said.

"Beat up." Weiss added.

"Confronted to help someone else." I said.

"Then challenged to a fight, and beat him up after toying with him." Weiss said.

"Anyway. He wanted revenge on me so he threw a jar of sap at me and released a box of Rapier Wasps. I took care of them and then and ursa emerged from the forest. I froze and fell to the ground." I said.

"You let him join with a condition like that?" Winter said angrily.

"He lived didn't he?" Qrow said. "Although knowing your history with this it sounds like this was the worst attack he's ever had. What happened?"

"Yeah about that. I blacked out so your gonna have to ask her." I said pointing to Weiss.

Her expression got more depressed thinking of that day again.

"When I found him Jaune was holding the ursa back from attacking him. Pyrrha and I moved him. I was scared and wasn't sure what to do. Professor Goodwitch called for help and tried to get a hold on the situation. His heart rate was going fast enough he may not have made it back to the school. I was so scared but I stayed by him. I remembered that he used music to help himself calm down and usually had him mp3 on him. I tried looking for it but I couldn't find it cause he forgot it that day. Not the first time he forgot something important but that's a different story. I started singing to him and it slowly calmed him down. His heart rate had dropped and he was semi alert." Weiss said.

"Alright if that's what happened how the hell are you still here kid?" Qrow asked.

"Qrow!" Winter yelled.

"Hey don't get mad at me that's why he didn't get accepted in the first place. If a huntsman can't take down a grimm he has no business here. So if that happened shortly after he got here I wanna know how the hell he's still here." Qrow said.

"I had a reason to stay. My friends helped me train against them to make it so I don't panic anymore. At least not near as much." I said.

"Wait what does that mean?" Weiss asked concerned.

"I still shake a bit at the end of the battle. But I can at least get though the fights now." I said.

"Alright I wanna see this for myself. Ice Queen if you don't mind." Qrow said.

We walked over to a small open field. Winter used her glyphs to create summon an ursa. This one was different though. Instead of being black like a normal one it was pure white with a few blue highlights. It charged towards me and I readied my swords. I jumped out of it's path and landed on it. I stabbed one of my swords into it to help be stay balanced on it. I used my other sword to stab the back of its neck. Killing it. I deactivated my weapons and my arm started shaking a bit.

"Not bad kid. Here I think you earned this." He said handing me his flask.

"No thanks." I said.

"Qrow what do you think your doing." Winter said angrily.

"Relax it was empty. It was a test. His semblance makes him fearless. If he had accepted it I would have known he used it. This way proved if he had actually improved or not." Qrow said putting the flask back.

"It make's sense the other day he activated it and pulled a hair from Yang's head." Weiss said.

"Okay now I know your stupid." He said punching me in the arm.

"Well unfortunately it's about time for me to go. Qrow I would like a word with you privately first." Winter said. She walked up to Weiss and hugged her.

"You're leaving already?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. The general mainly needed me to help with the transport of some important cargo." Winter released the hug and walked over to me. "It was nice meeting you Crimson. I look forward to seeing you again after the tournament." We shook hands before she started walking away with Qrow.

 **(Qrow's POV)**

"You do remember him right?" I asked.

"Yes. I didn't realize how much of an impact I'd have on him." Winter said.

"Told you not to transfer to Ironwood. You'd have made a good huntress." I said.

"You know that had nothing to do with my decision." She said.

"Yeah Yeah." I said taking out my flask. "Did you at least tell him?" I said before taking a swig.

"No. I wasn't sure until they told us what happened." She said.

"He deserves to know." I said.

"He will. In time." She said

 **(Crimson's POV)**

"Well that was an eventful..." I started saying before Weiss slapped the back of my head. "Ow what was that for?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were still struggling with this?" Weiss asked.

"I didn't want you worrying over it. It's not something that going to vanish. I figured if I've got it to a point I can fight then it's not a big deal." I said.

"You dolt." She said holding my hands. "I wish you'd have at least let me know."

"I'm sorry." I said kissing her.

"It's alright. Anyway Blake and I were gonna go hang out for a bit so I'll see you later." She said.

"Alright have fun. I think the fair is still going on so I'm gonna go check it out a little better." I said.

We shared one more kiss and went our separate ways. I got to the fair and saw all the different games and shops they had.

'Maybe I could try and win something for Weiss.' I thought looking over the games. I saw one that had a giant red monkey as a prize. The game was a test of strength like you see in cartoons. Hit it with a hammer ring the bell get a prize. Simple in theory but usually rigged in some way. I stepped up to try it. It was five lien a try. I took the hammer and slammed it down once to test it I didn't put a lot of power into it. It went up maybe a fifth of the way. I paid for another shot. I took the hammer and swung it down much harder. It went up about two thirds of the way.

"So that's how it's gonna be." I said. I paid for another shot. I jumped up and slammed the hammer down as hard as I could. It went up and got close but it still didn't ring the bell. "Shit." I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. I turned around to see a girl with long black hair and green eyes behind me. She had a black top with some kind of white collar, long black gloves and a black and white skirt. He held her hand out for the hammer.

"Um sure. Good luck though I'm pretty sure the game is rigged to never let people win." I said handing her the hammer.

She took the hammer and swung it down with what looked like minimal effort. It went up and rung the bell on the first try.

"Yep definitely rigged." I said crossing my arms.

She pulled me over to the prize area and held her hand out.

"You won the prize is yours." I said.

She shook her head and gestured to the prizes again.

"Um alright the big red monkey?" I said. The guy handed me the monkey.

The girl pulled me away from the game and stopped abruptly in an area away from the fair.

"So thanks for the help with the game I guess, but who are you? Why did you pull me out here?" I asked really confused.

She stared at me and looked me up and down. She smiled and put her hands on my cheeks.

"Um what are you doing?" I asked.

She leaned in and kissed me.

I backed off and fell down. "What was that? Who the hell are you?"

She just smiled and skipped away.

"What the fuck just happened!?" I yelled out. "Whatever I'm just glad no one saw that. Last thing I need is for Weiss to think I was cheating on her."

I decided to leave and head back to the dorms. I stopped by Weiss' dorm to drop the monkey off first. I didn't stay long since it was late and we had no clue when we would be fighting tomorrow. We woke up and headed to the arena. We headed to the stands when Ozpin intercepted us.

"Mr. Vayr and Mr. Scherr. Your match will be first up today. I'm really curious to see if the PA system mysteriously goes out and starts playing music as you come out again. That was certainly entertaining last time." Ozpin said walking away.

"So you wanna explain that like you were supposed to yesterday?" Cerise asked.

"Oh yeah. Well during our mission with Shade I got a little one on one time with him and we talked about the Vytal Festival when he was here. He mentioned how a mercenary he used ran with a couple times named Carmine hacked into the PA to cut everything so his team could walk out as badass as possible. I asked if he could hook me up. He said he'd think about it. That was the real prize for finishing early. He was gonna give us the tickets anyway." I said.

"Nice so what are we coming out to today?" Xana asked.

"I got an idea. Let's get ready and I'll explain on the way." I said

We got ready and got to the entrance.

"Ready man?" I asked.

"Hell yeah This will be easy!" He said slamming his fist's together.

 **(Cue X Gon' Give it to Ya by DMX)**

"So remind me why you picked this song again?" Xana asked.

"Dude did you seriously forget already?" I asked

"No I just like hearing it." Xana said.

"Riding off the momentum of your kick-ass win yesterday."

The music faded out and Professor Port regained control.

"Now as I was saying before being somehow cutoff again. Crimson Vayr and Xana Scherr of Beacon will be facing off against Penny Polendina and Ciel Soleil of Atlas.

"So you're the Penny that Ruby talks about all the time." I said.

"Ruby talks about another Penny?" She said.

"N-no I meant Ruby talks about you a lot and I never knew who you were." I said

"Oh. Are you one of her friends too?" She asked.

"Yeah we both are." I said.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but penny we have a schedule to keep." Ciel said pointing to her watch.

"Oh right." Penny said getting ready. About ten blades appeared from her back.

Xana and I looked at each other.

"Begin!" Professor Port said.

"Yeah I'm gonna say nope." Xana said glowing green.

Penny began glowing green as well. Her blades began flying all around her and Ciel striking them both repeatedly. I quickly loaded my guns with gravity dust and started shooting at Penny. Their auras were dropping rapidly. Xana wrapped his chains around Ciel's legs. He started swinging her around and eventually slammed her hard into Penny. The impact knocked their auras into the red.

"Penny Polendina and Ciel Soleil have been eliminated!" Professor Port said.

"In one of the shortest matches in history Crimson Vayr and Xana Scherr are the winners!" Doctor Oobleck said.

"I'm combat... Ready? What happened?" Penny asked.

"We lost." Ciel said.

"How did we lose? Didn't the match just start?" Penny asked confused.

"Xana's semblance lets him control his enemies. He took you over and pretty much made you attack yourself and your partner." I said offering to help them up.

"I understand. Good match friends." Penny said.

"Yeah good match." I said as we walked to the back. I looked back to make sure they weren't following us. "Did something seem off about that girl?"

"You noticed too?" Xana asked.

"Hey Congratulations guys!" Yang said running up to us with Weiss following her.

"Hey you actually came to see me this time." I said.

"Oh shut up and hug me." She said.

"So I'm guessing since he pretty much gave your team the win both times that Xana will be moving on to the next round?" Yang asked.

"Actually I'm letting Crimson go on." Xana said.

"What! Why?" Yang asked.

"I have my reasons." Xana said looking at me and nodding.

"Yeah. Xana said he'd let me go on if I paid for your date tonight." I said winking to Xana.

"We didn't have a date planned for tonight?" Yang said confused.

"Oh darn did I ruin the surprise?" I said pulling out my wallet. "Oh well here's the two hundred lien I promised."

Xana took it trying not to seem confused. Him and Yang started walking away talking about their date tonight.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked.

"He said I owed him and my team since I made the stupid deal. I took care of him so now I only owe Skyler and Cerise. I planned on doing the same thing for Skyler. Cerise on the other hand I'm not sure what I'm gonna do though." I said.

"What about me?" Weiss asked wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I take you out all the time. Besides I just got you that monkey last night." I said. She stepped on my foot.

"Ouch I was kidding. Alright how about this. Whatever you want to do I'll try to make it happen." I said.

"Hmm you might be in for an interesting night." She said smiling. "Anyway I think Yang forgot our match is next." You better head for the stands. I better hear you cheering for me." She said. She kissed me before heading towards the arena. Yang ran past me right as I turned around. I caught up to my team in the stands.

"You could have at least gave me a heads up on that." Xana said.

"I would have if I had thought about it before hand. I'm guessing Weiss ended up not telling her team about the deal. So instead of explaining it I made a last minute decision to pay up on my deal to you. Speaking of which." I pulled my wallet out and handed another two hundred lien to Skyler. "You get to take Nora out tonight too my treat. I haven't thought of anything for you yet Cerise but I promise I'll repay you."

"If you say so." Cerise said crossing her arms. I think I saw a small blush on her face.

"Thanks Crimson, but you really didn't have to." Skyler said.

"Just have fun tonight." I said.

We watched Weiss and Yang take on Flynt Coal and Neon Katt from Atlas.

"Look Crimson it's your sister" Xana said laughing.

"Xana she's a cat faunus like Blake." Cerise said.

Skyler and I burst out laughing while Xana just slumped down in his seat.

The fight went on and it seemed like the Atlas team had the advantage. Weiss made a sacrificial move and pushed herself and Flynt into a small volcano below them. Making a huge eruption and smoke.

"Weiss!" I yelled out.

"It appears we have a double knockout on our hands!" Professor Port said.

"In fact, it looks as though Ms. Schnee's aura has been completely depleted! She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt! Wait a minute. What's this!?" Doctor Oobleck said.

When the smoke cleared Flynt was staggered but he was still standing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Flynt Coal remains standing!" Professor Port said.

"You got this Yang!" Xana yelled out.

Yang grew really angry and made short work of Flynt. Almost immediately after Neon's roller blade caught a rock throwing her into a geyser. Launching her up into the air unable to defend herself. Yang took the opportunity to fire at Neon eliminating her. After the final buzzer Yang ran over to check on Weiss. Xana and I rushed tot he entrance to the arena. By the time we got there they were already walking back. I ran up and hugged Weiss.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine Crimson." Weiss said.

"Congratulations you two. That was a risky move Weiss I'm glad your okay." Xana said.

"Thanks." Weiss said.

I picked her up and placed her on my back. "You take it easy. I'll take you back to your dorm."

Yang liked the idea and jumped on Xana's back and pointed forward. "Forward march." Everyone except Xana was laughing as we walked back to the dorms.

 **AN: Carmine belongs to Nightmare 6-4. Shade belongs to The Burning Ruler. I only own Team CCSX.**


	16. Chapter 16

Xana and I had taken our girlfriends back to their dorm. Yang still had a lot of energy left and wanted to burn it off, She picked Xana up and took off for the training hall. Weiss went into the bathroom to shower and change. Leaving me in the room alone with Ruby.

"I think Yang forgot about her date with Xana." I said.

"She had a date tonight?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah it was a last minute decision by Xana. With a little persuasion from me." I said.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"For sending me to the next round I said I'd pay for their date tonight." I said.

"But you said it was a last minute decision." She said confused.

"I said it in front of Yang." I said.

"So you bribed him and used Yang as leverage to make him say yes." She said.

"Persuasion yes." I said.

"So then what are you and Weiss doing tonight?" She asked.

"I have no clue. I told her whatever she wanted I'd try to make it happen." I said.

"What if she want's to do... dirty stuff." She said whispering the last part.

"Ruby how do you know about that?" I asked really confused and concerned.

"I may have accidentally read some of Blake's Ninjas of Love book." Ruby said.

"How much did you read?" I asked

"Only a few pages... Chapters... The whole thing. Please don't tell Yang." She said.

"We both never speak of this again. To answer your question I doubt Weiss will wanna do any of that.

"Any of what?" Weiss asked coming out of the bathroom.

"Nothing!" Ruby and I both yelled.

"Okay?" Weiss said.

"Oh. Ruby I was gonna ask how are things going with you and Velvet?" I asked

"Pretty good. Although she's pretty tore up that her team got eliminated from the tournament. I was about to head over and check on her." She said.

"Well let her know that I'm gonna win for them." I said giving a thumbs up.

"I will and I'm sure Coco will be happy to hear that." she said.

After that Weiss and I headed off towards the airships.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" I asked.

"Well I want you to be in good condition for your match tomorrow so I'm taking you to a spa." Weiss said.

"Okay two questions. One you do remember I'm a guy right? That's not normally our thing. And two there is a spa open this late?" I asked.

"Anything is open for a Schnee. And obviously I am fully aware you are a guy. Guys can go to spas too. Trust me after this your gonna feel great and you'll be in top form for the next round. Besides you said anything I want." She said.

"I know I did. I just wasn't expecting you to ask for that." I said.

"Trust me. This will be perfect for you." She said.

"Wait I said what you want. This sounds like it's turning into something for me." I said.

"Is there a problem with me wanting to spoil my boyfriend a little?" She asked.

"No?" I asked.

"You've done a lot for me and I want to pay you back properly. You said whatever I wanted you'd try to make happen, and what I want is a day to make you feel special. No arguing." She said.

We got to the airship and headed to the city. On the way Weiss rested her head on my shoulder and held my hand. After we landed Weiss paid the pilot a hundred lien. She told him there was a possibility they would be back after the airships are supposed to be done running. If he stays and waits for them he would get paid a substantial amount. She took me to the spa in town and was immediately greeted by the staff at the front desk.

"Are you sure were gonna have time for this? The place is supposed to close soon." I said.

"I called ahead and let them know we were coming. All I had to do was mention my name and they agreed to stay open as late as we need." Weiss said.

"This doesn't seem right. You're kinda forcing these people to stay open just because your a Schnee." I said.

"I know. This is really important to me though. I assured the staff that they would be paid very well for helping me out." Weiss said. A staff member walked up to us.

"I don't mean to intrude, but everything has been set up for you Ms. Schnee and Mr. Vayr. If you'd please follow me." The staff member said.

We followed the staff member to a changing room. I was completely confused.

"Mr. Vayr I have been informed that this is your first time at a spa. If you'd kindly remove your clothing and cover yourself with the provided robe we can continue." The staff member said.

"Um I'm sorry. What?" I said really confused.

"You'll need to remove your clothed sir. Then cover yourself with the provided robe." He said again.

'What did Weiss get me into?' I thought as I started removing my clothes. "So I'd like to apologize for making you and the rest of the staff stay late for us. I had no idea my girlfriend was planning this."

"I appreciate that but believe me no one is upset about working a few extra hours tonight. Were getting overtime pay in addition to whatever Ms. Schnee is going to pay. Plus if she has a good experience our reputation will go up meaning our business and pay will go up." He said.

I finished undressing and wrapped the robe around me. I still felt this wasn't quite right, but hearing that at least made me feel a little less guilty. The staff member took me to a set of padded tables with Weiss laying on one of them. She was completely naked save for the sheet on her butt. I'm pretty sure my face and hair were the same color. She looked up at me and her face went a little red as well.

"Mr. Vayr if you would kindly lay down on the table next to Ms. Schnee we can start." He said.

"Um s-sure." I said.

I started to lay down when the staff member spoke up again. "Sir you need to remove the robe before we can start."

I removed the robe and laid down as quickly as possible. I'm pretty sure I moved faster than any of the fights I've been in. After I had laid down he had placed a sheet over my butt like Weiss.

"Aright before we begin would you prefer a male or female masseuse." He asked.

"Female." Weiss and I both said.

"Very well they shall be here in a minute." He said before heading out.

The room was really quiet for what felt like eternity. Weiss must have been just as embarrassed about this as I was.

"So... what should I be expecting?" I finally said.

"I-I set us up for a combination aromatherapy and performance massages to start. Then after this we'll undergo a bodymelt treatment. Then finish with a manicure and pedicure." Weiss said.

"I have no idea what any of that means." I said.

"A girl is gonna rub her hands all over your body and you'll feel a lot better in the end." She said.

"Wait. What?" I asked.

"And the same thing is going to happen to me." She said.

"Where did you bring me?" I asked.

Weiss started laughing. "Trust me by the end of this your gonna feel so much better. Just relax nothing bad will happen."

The door opened and two girls came in. One of them started explaining what they were going to do and all the ins and outs of what the effects were going to be. I had to ask her to explain again and Weiss laughed at me again. She explained it again but I still had no clue what was going on. Something about muscle tissue and performance. All I was sure of was I was really nervous about having this girl I didn't know putting her hands all over me with Weiss right next to me. Somehow the thought of the same thing happening to her made it even worse. Surprisingly that feeling didn't last long. Shortly after she started I was more relaxed than ever. It felt like it lasted only a short time but I looked at the clock on the wall and saw about an hour had passed. They placed our robes over us after they had finished.

"Okay take your time getting up. Your muscles are very relaxed and any sudden movement can cause damage to them." The girl said.

Weiss and I started getting up slowly before looking at each other. We both blushed and turned the other way as we got up. When we finally got up we were taken to another area for the bodymelt thing Weiss mentioned. The girl explained it to me again, but once again I didn't understand. I have no clue what happened but I felt really rejuvenated afterward. Finally we were taken to a area with fancy chairs. We sat down and the girls got everything ready for us.

"Alright so the massage and the bodymelt thing I feel the benefits, and kinda understand how they will be useful. However this I'm having a really hard time understanding how this will enhance my performance tomorrow." I said.

"It helps with blood circulation and improves mobility in joints." Weiss said.

"If you say so. I think you just wanted your nails done." I said.

"Is there a problem with that?" She asked.

"No, but you could at least admit it." I said.

"That's an added benefit yes. But it actually does have health benefits." She said.

After they finished we were taken back to the changing rooms to get dressed again. We went to the front desk and complimented the staff for their amazing service. I didn't see how much she paid them, but by the look on their faces. I could tell it was a large amount. She promised to leave a very positive review before we walked out.

"Thank you honey. I should have listened to you from the beginning. You are so much smarter than I am." Weiss said smiling.

"Alright I shouldn't have doubted you. I will admit I feel amazing after that. Like a new faunus." I said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have one more place I wanna go tonight." She said.

"I don't think anywhere else is open." I said.

"Just follow me." She said.

She led me to a wooded area just on the edge of the city. It was close enough to the city that grimm wouldn't be an issue. We came upon a large swing overlooking a large cliff. She pulled me over and had me sit down. She sat next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. The view was amazing The light of the moon shined perfectly over the sea. The few clouds in the sky had a perfect white trim around them. Beyond that the stars in the sky were very clear.

"Alright I think this officially this is officially my best day ever." I said.

"The night is still young." She said.

"I can't see you having anything else planned for tonight." I said.

She got up and sat on my legs facing me with one leg on each side of me.

"Uh Weiss what are you doing?" I said.

"Well you're halfway to winning the Vytal Festival. I figured you deserved a little reward." She said running her hands along my chest.

"I-I thought that's what the spa thing was for." I said.

"Oh it was, but it was only part one. Were not done yet." She slid her arms around my neck. She kissed me and pushed her tongue into my mouth. I pushed her away.

"Weiss what's got into you?" I asked.

"Maybe I got a little jealous knowing that girl had her hands all over you." She said running her hands though my hair.

"Still this isn't you." I said.

"Oh come on you had to be thinking about the same thing knowing that the same thing was happening to me." She said.

"O-of course not. I wouldn't do that." I said.

"Yet your not trying very hard to stop me either." She said running her hands up my shirt.

I grabbed her hands and pulled them away.

"Weiss you need to stop this." I said.

"What's wrong don't you wanna do this. Am I not attractive enough for you?" Weiss said looking down.

"Weiss it's not that I love everything about you. You are very attractive. This just isn't right. Not now at least." I said.

Weiss slowly began shaking eventually she burst out laughing. I sat there extremely confused.

"You should see the look on your face! You have no idea how hard it was to not start laughing sooner." She said.

"Wait. What?" I asked.

"I heard you and Ruby talking about the dirty stuff. You said you didn't think I'd wanna do any of that so I wanted to see your reaction if I tried. It was better than I could have imagined." She said getting up and sitting back next to me.

"So that was all an act?" I said still trying to process what was going on.

"Yep. Although I did learn some more about you." She said.

"Like?" I asked.

"Well for starters you're easier to trick than I thought." She said.

"I really want to argue that. Clearly I can't though." I said.

"I don't have any way to know if you were serious about not thinking about that girl touching me. Although knowing how you acted from the start and when I first met you. I have pretty good feeling you weren't lying." She said.

"I wasn't lying. I was nervous as hell and worried what you were thinking. For about five minutes. Then I was to relaxed to think about anything." I said.

"Finally although you were tying so hard to keep innocent. Your friend downstairs was working against you." She said winking at me. I had no response to that. "If it makes you feel any better I had no intentions of going any further. It was just fun teasing you."

"Yeah I feel a little better. That was still a horrible thing to do though." I said standing up.

"Crimson?" Weiss asked worried.

I turned and started walking away. She got up quick and ran in front of me.

"Crimson I'm really sorry. Please don't me mad at me. I just wanted to have a little fun." She said.

I crossed my arms and turned away from her. She threw her arms around me.

"I'm really sorry." She said.

I started laughing. This time she was the one standing there confused. I wrapped my arms around her.

"And payback." I said.

"Alright I suppose I deserved that, but that might have been a little much." She said.

"Maybe, but it worked." I said.

"You are so lucky I love you." She said.

"Pretty sure I'm the lucky one. Anyway we should probably start heading back" I said.

"Probably. Although you did say you'd do anything I want, and there is one more thing I want." She said.

She put her arms around my neck, and pulled me in for a kiss. Once again she had her tongue enter my mouth. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. After a couple minutes she pulled away to catch her breath.

"Glad you didn't stop me that time?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. But..." I said before she cut me off.

"Don't worry I don't wanna go any further yet either. I just wanted to try it. Although I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind doing it again." She said winking to me again.

With that we headed back to the airship where the same pilot as before was still waiting for us. We apologized again for how late it was and we each paid him two hundred and fifty lien. When we got back to the dorms I took Weiss back to her room. She tried to unlock the door but her scroll wasn't working. I could hear noise coming from the other side. I had her step to the side and put my ear to the door. My face turned bright red and I pulled Weiss towards my room. She tried asking what was up but I didn't say anything. We entered my room to find Cerise and Skyler about to go to bed.

"About time you got back. Any idea where Xana is?" Cerise asked.

"Yeah about that. Weiss is gonna spend the night here. Her room is a little... preoccupied." I said pointing towards Xana's bed.

"Yang Xiao Long you are so in trouble tomorrow." Weiss said.

"So wait what about Ruby and Blake?" Skyler asked.

"Ruby!" Weiss and I both yelled.

"Please still be at Velvet's dorm. Please still be at Velvet's dorm." I said quickly trying to call her scroll.

"Hello?" A female voice answered that wasn't Ruby's.

"Coco?" I said confused.

"Freshman? Kinda late to be calling your girlfriends teammate isn't it?" She asked.

"I was calling to make sure she was okay." I said.

"She's fine. Her and Velvet passed out watching a movie. I was about to wake her up anyway what's up?" She asked

I breathed a sigh of relief. "You might as well just cover them up and leave them. She wouldn't be able to get in anyway." I said.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Yang has... a guest over for the night." I said.

"Got it. Don't worry we'll take care of her. Have you talked to her other teammates and warned them yet?" She asked.

"I was with Weiss when I found out. I think she's talking to Blake." I said.

"If she needs a place we'll take her in. I'm sure Jaune's team would too." She said.

"She'll probably just stay with Sun tonight if she isn't already with him." I said.

"Alright. Well you should probably get some sleep You promised to win the tournament for us. I don't think you wanna see what will happen if you lose." She said.

"I'd be more intimidated if I hadn't beat you twice already." I said.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just get some rest Freshman. You're gonna need it." She said before hanging up.

"I talked to Blake. Turns out she was the first to find out about Yang. She meant to message me and Ruby, but she couldn't figure out how to tell her without telling her too much." Weiss said.

"Did you tell her she read Blake's book?" I asked.

"No probably better no one else knew about that. Speaking of which did you get a hold of her?" She asked.

"Yeah. She passed out with Velvet while watching some movie. Coco said they'd look after her." I said.

"That's good Blake is with team JNPR. Sun begged her to stay with them, but she told him the idea of being in an all guys dorm didn't quite feel right." She said.

"Wait we can sleep in other people's dorms?" Skyler asked.

"Normally no. However this is a special occasion. That no one outside out teams is gonna hopefully know about." Weiss said.

"So are you two sharing a bed, or is she taking Xana's bed for the night?" Cerise asked.

"Well I guess that's up to you guys. I'd rather not make anything uncomfortable for anyone." Weiss said.

"You guys aren't gonna start going at it are you?" Cerise asked.

"No." We both said blushing.

"Then either is fine with me." Cerise said.

"Same." Skyler said.

"Would you be okay sharing a bed together?" I asked.

"S-sure. I-if you are." Weiss said.

"Alright. Skyler you and Crimson are swapping beds tonight." Cerise said.

"Why?" Skyler asked.

Cerise used her semblance to move Xana and Skyler's beds together.

"Thanks, but that was oddly nice of you." I said.

"I don't wanna get woken up because one of you fell out of bed." Cerise said turning to hide her blushing.

"Well it's still appreciated. Thanks everyone. I'll try not to cause any issues." Weiss said.

"No problem. I can give you some clothes to sleep in if you want." Skyler said.

"Thank you again." Weiss said.

Skyler handed Weiss some clothed and she headed to the bathroom to change. She came out wearing a light blue tank top and a pair of blue shorts.

"Wow I don't think I've ever seen you dressed so casually. Which says a lot since we shared a room for a while" I said.

"Oh be quiet." Weiss said blushing again.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing. It's a really nice look for you." I said.

"Thanks." Weiss said.

"So not that this isn't really cute to watch, but we should probably get some sleep." Skyler said.

Weiss and I nodded and climbed into bed. We kissed before quickly passing out with her in my arms.

 ***The Next Day***

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on our door. I was the only one who heard it so I got up to answer it. I opened it to see Blake and Ruby.

"Hey Crimson is Weiss awake?" Blake asked.

I turned to the rest of the room. "No one's awake but me." I said.

"Did you and Weiss push the beds together and sleep together." Blake asked.

"Yes. Yes. And No." I said.

"Alright." Blake said.

"Wait Blake only asked two questions what was the no for?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry about it right now. Anyway you should probably wake everyone up and get ready the next round should be starting soon." Blake said.

"Oh shit! Hey girls wake up we slept in!" I yelled out causing everyone to wake up at once.

"We'll see you later. Tell Weiss to message me when she can." Blake said.

I nodded before closing the door and rushing to get ready. After everyone was ready we ran to the cafeteria to get a quick breakfast before the next round. Weiss took off towards her dorm to meet up with Blake to have a "talk" with Yang. We got to the arena just in time with Yang following shortly behind me. I didn't recognize most of the other finalists. However one of them both Yang and I were surprised to see.

"Jaune?" Yang and I both said.

He turned to see the two of us and walked over to us.

"Hey I didn't know your team chose you for the finals" Yang said.

"Yeah, We wanted Pyrrha to be here but she insisted that I do it. She said that it would prove how much I've improved since coming here." Jaune said.

"Good for you man. You definitely deserve it." I said.

"Yeah with this kick ass team we have a better chance of giving Beacon the win." Yang said.

"Yeah, but he shouldn't be here. Xana should." Jaune said gesturing towards me.

"No big deal. I mean it's for Beacon so as long as one of us wins it shouldn't matter right?" Yang said.

"She doesn't know does she?" Jaune said looking at me.

"The bigger question is how do you know?" I said.

"Skyler accidentally told us last night. She asked us not to say anything, but we both know if this was just about a win for Beacon Xana, Cerise or Skyler should be here. So do you wanna tell her or should I?" Jaune said.

"Jaune this is none of your business. I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want my friends to go easy on me if I had to fight any of you." I said.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Yang said. Her eyes turned to red.

"The reason your boyfriend isn't here is because Crimson made a deal with Weiss' father. If he loses in the tournament he is no longer allowed to date Weiss and will be forced to leave Beacon." Jaune said.

"Is that true?" Yang asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry Yang." I said.

"Look I'm not happy that you hid this from us. In fact I'm furious right now. I understand why you did it though. Plus I've seen how happy you make Weiss. Next time though just tell us. I'm sure as hell giving it everything I got no matter what." Yang said before walking away.

"Jaune!" I said before being cut off by Port and Oobleck.

"Alright Ladies and Gentleman! It's time for our first round of the Semi-Finals." Professor Port said.

"Yes our first match will be... This can't be right. Crimson Vayr and Jaune Arc of Beacon?" Doctor Oobleck said confused.

"As a first in the history of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Two students from the same school will battle it out in the Semi-Finals. Students. Make your final preparations and be back in five minutes." Professor Port said.

I walked up to Jaune and grabbed him by the sweatshirt. "I know you don't wanna think of us as friends, but that was low. I don't know what crawled up your ass, but I thought we were starting to get on the same page. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I'm gonna finally beat some fucking sense into you." I shoved him and started walking away.

I walked back to the locker room and was met by Skyler in tears.

"I'm so sorry Crimson. It just slipped out. I didn't think he'd say anything. If you hate me I understand. I swear I didn't mean for this to happen." Skyler said. She was about to run away when I grabbed her arm. I pulled her back and hugged her.

"I'm not mad at you. I shouldn't have hidden this from them in the first place. Accidents happen. Just do me a favor and make sure Yang doesn't try doing something to Weiss. Jauney Boy needs to be taught a lesson." I said.

"Crimson I know your mad and I know it's my fault. Just remember you both have a lot of friends and loved ones watching." She said before taking off towards the stands.

"Aright everyone It's officially time for the first round of the Semi-Finals! Will Mr. Vayr and Mr. Arc please reenter the arena!" Professor Port said.

I took a deep breath and started heading towards the arena. I got the program Shade gave me ready. I waited until Jaune was already out before I hit my music.

 **(Cue D-Generation X Theme)**

I entered the arena with a smug look on my face knowing this was annoying Jaune. I turned the music off after I showed off to the fans a bit. The crowed was cheering the more I gestured to them.

"So. Asshole to the finally huh?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah you are. Thought I'd just pull some extra theatrics as a little payback." I said.

"Gonna seem really ineffective when you lose." Jaune said.

"Not likely. I've beaten you twice Jaune. Third time's gonna be the same." I said.

"You've only beat me once I beat you the first time." Jaune said.

"No Jaune I let you win. Think about it. The first time we fought I didn't use any dust and was purely on defense trying to talk some sense into you. The second time I went on the offense and used dust." I said loading two new kinds of dust rounds into my guns.

"Nice try. I beat you fair and square. Both our teams saw it." Jaune said getting in his fighting stance.

"Alright Jaune. You wanna live in you're fantasy world where you think your the best and coolest person here. Fine." I changed to my swords, and got in my stance as well. "Round three. Fight!"

I charged at him dragging both my blades on the ground. My blades began to glow in a mixture of colors. One glowed red and light blue. The other black and yellow. Jaune put up his shield to block as I swung down with my black and yellow blade. The impact sent him back a bit. A small amount of static flowed around him.

"What the hell was that?" Jaune yelled charging at me.

"See. Jacques Schnee might be a racist jackass, but his company makes some incredible things with dust. He may hate me, but his daughters certainly don't. Weiss gave me some new combination dust. One has fire and ice the other is gravity and lightning." I said blocking his blade with my both of mine.

I pushed his sword away and swung towards him. He blocked my blade and retreated a bit. He sheathed his sword and collapsed his shield.

"Giving up already Jauney Boy?" I asked.

"You're not the only one with some new tricks." Jaune said. Suddenly his shield switched to a blade. Creating a large two-handed sword.

'Shit. It's really cool and I might be in a little trouble.' I thought. I charged at him again.

I struck first with my black and yellow blade. Jaune blocked it like it was nothing. I swung as fast and as often as possible but he was able to block everything. Luckily the lightning and fire dust were still affecting him. Unfortunately I knew it wasn't going to be enough. If I kept this up even if I activated my semblance I wouldn't be able to keep this up long enough. I was only chipping his aura away and not fast enough. I backed off and switched both my swords to gun mode. I didn't have any time to fire though because Jaune closed the gap and struck me hard with his blade.

At this point Jaune had only lost a quarter of his aura while I had lost half of my own. I started firing at Jaune's feet in order to slow him down. With the lightning, ice and gravity dust working together I was able to stop him. It wasn't for very long but long enough to activate my semblance. I had to keep my distance so I tried the tactic I used against Coco in out first match. I started circling Jaune and firing at him constantly changing direction to make it harder for him to block. It was working. I was taking his aura down fast.

Jaune stopped blocking and swung his sword hard at the ground. The impact caused a small shock wave. I was knocked off balance and Jaune was able to charge towards me. He swung at me knocking me back again. This time hard enough to send me into the wall. My aura was below half but so was his. I have to end this quickly or I might lose. I switched back to my swords and swung down with both at the same time. He blocked my swords again but I kept the pressure on hoping the dust would eventually chip as much aura as possible from him.

"Looks like once again I have the opportunity to send you out of this school." Jaune said.

"Not a chance in hell." I said.

Jaune swung upwards knocking my swords back. Before I could react his sword changed again. This time into a shotgun. I didn't have a chance to block before he fired. The blast sent me back into the wall again. Knocking my swords out of my hands. Jaune picked up the black and yellow sword and switched it to it's gun mode.

"Good bye Crimson." Jaune said before firing my gun.

With that final shot my aura depleted completely.

"Ladies and gentleman your winner Jaune Arc!" Professor Port said.

Jaune thew my gun back in front of me. His gun switched back to it's fully collapsed form. And he began walking away.

'I can't believe it. It's over. I... I lost...' I picked my weapons up and switched them to their collapsed mode as well. I ran up to Jaune to congratulate him. He turned around and looked pissed. He pulled his sword out and swung at me.


	17. Chapter 17

My eyes opened slowly to a bright white room. I felt a large amount of pain in my left shoulder but I couldn't feel anything past that.

"It's about time you woke up. I was starting to wonder if you ever would." A female voice said.

I slowly turned my head to the right of me to see a white figure with pink hair. Slowly the figure became more and more clear.

"Cerise?" I said weakly. "Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital in Vacuo." She said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well that's a pretty long story. You still seem pretty weak. When your feeling a bit better I'll explain everything." She said.

I closed my eyes and activated my semblance. My aura began healing me at a faster rate.

"I'm fine Cerise. What happened?" I said.

"Alright fine. Man your stubborn. What's the last thing you remember?" She asked.

"I remember Jaune and I were fighting in the Vytal Festival. He changed his large sword into a shotgun. He fired and the impact sent me into the wall. I lost my weapons. He picked one up and fired. I... lost." I said. The last words really sunk in hard.

"Do you remember anything after that?" She asked.

"Not enough to tell you anything. I remember seeing Jaune looking pissed. After that nothing." I said.

"Yeah none of us are sure what happened with that. You ran up to him. I assume to congratulate him. He turned around with an angry expression on his face. He pulled out his sword and swung at you. He... cut off your left arm." She said.

I looked over to see she was right. I had assumed the reason I couldn't feel it was because the pain made it go numb.

"After that Jaune started yelling 'You just couldn't accept your loss so you decide to act like a coward and attack me from behind?' He was surrounded by Atlas guards after that and taken to a jail for attempted murder. Pyrrha was destroyed after watching his actions. It didn't help it looked like she had other things on her mind at the time during the match. Weiss was freaking out. She immediately ran to the locker rooms. She wasn't allowed into the arena due to the situation. You were taken out of the arena, and originally were supposed to go to a hospital in Vale. Someone had your flight redirected to Vacuo instead. I don't know who it was but apparently it was someone Ozpin trusted. He let us know where you were being taken, but he wouldn't answer why you were being taken to here instead of Vale."

"Who all did Ozpin inform?" I asked.

"Just me, Skyler and Xana. He told us not to let anyone else know but I told Weiss anyway. I figured she at least should have known." She said.

"So then where is everyone else?" I asked.

She sighed and looked down. "A lot happened after you left. The tournament continued, and another incident happened in the next round. Yang took on Mercury and a similar event happened. Mercury got attacked by Yang after he lost all of his aura. It wasn't as serious but it was still enough to cause some panic. A female voice came over the speakers shortly after. She made a long speech essentially targeting Ozpin and Ironwood. After that the school was attacked by grimm and White Fang. We were given the option to fight or run. Everyone who could chose to fight. After a bit something happened that caused all of the Atlas mechs to turn against us. Pyrrha ended up separating from the group. Ren followed after her while the rest of us kept fighting off anything that opposed us. Blake ended up separating next. Apparently the one who led the White Fang attack was someone she knew from when she was in it. Yang and Xana ended up following her. Ren told Ruby and Weiss that Pyrrha had gone to the top of the tower. That she would need help. A giant grimm dragon appeared afterward and was fixated of the tower. After a bit it flew off and rammed unto the top of the tower. Ruby used Weiss' glyphs top climb what remained. I don't know what happened up there but a large blinding light came from the top of the tower. When it subsided the dragon was frozen at the top of the tower." She said.

"Wow. That's a lot to take in. It still doesn't answer my question though. If you Xana Skyler and Weiss knew where I was sent. Why are you the only one here?" I asked.

"After the fight Weiss' father came and took her back to Atlas. She tried to fight back, but he threatened her with his guards. I promised her that I'd look after you and she went with him. Skyler and I got into a huge fight after everything. She wanted to go with Nora and Ren. I tried telling her that she needed to be here for you but she kept arguing that this was for the better. She mentioned something about you knowing this might happen and that you wouldn't be surprised if she did." She said.

"Yeah. The night of the dance we ended up talking, and she mentioned that she loves the idea of being free. She said there may be a possibility of her leaving the team after we graduate, or if something changed her mind he might stick around. So I was prepared for the possibility of her leaving. Don't be to upset with her." I said.

"It still doesn't make it right she should have at least came with to make sure you were okay." She said.

"As long as she's happy with her decision I'm not upset about it. Don't get me wrong I'm a little hurt she didn't come see me, but we can always call her and let her know I'm okay right?" I said.

"No... We can't. The CCT in Vale was destroyed. Communication across the entire kingdom is down. I don't where Skyler is. I don't know if she's okay. I can't even let Weiss know your okay." She said.

"It's fine... I'll deal with it later. What about Xana?" I asked.

"He's gone..." She said with a tear starting to slide down her cheek.

"So is Skyler. Where did he go?" I asked.

"No... He's dead Crimson... When he and Yang went after Blake they ended up fighting against the guy Blake knew. He stabbed Blake. Yang rushed in after her and ended up losing her arm. Xana went into a rage and rushed in on him. Blake was able to get Yang out of there. After the battle we found Xana laying on the ground. He had multiple stab wounds. I sent one of his kunai back to his parents. I kept the other for you. I don't know if they ever got it, or not but I figured you'd want something to remember him by. His death actually was part of the argument Skyler and I had. I tried arguing that we needed to keep what was left of our team together. She said there is no team anymore. Those words stuck with me, and I've been thinking about them a lot the past few months." She said.

"Months? Cerise how long have I been out?" I asked.

"It's been about three months." She said.

"Damn... This is a lot of information to take in. What happened with Pyrrha and Jaune?"

"Pyrrha is dead too. Qrow told us when he brought Ruby back from the top of the tower. Jaune disappeared after he was taken to the jail cell. The ship he was on was taken over so no one is sure if he's even alive." She said.

"Did we lose anyone else?" I asked.

She paused before answering. "Ozpin went missing. He's assumed to be dead, but it hasn't been confirmed yet. At least I haven't heard if it has or not. Ruby was out cold, but Qrow assured us she would be fine. Everyone else seemed to be okay." She said.

"Ozpin, Pyrrha and Xana. All gone. Jaune's M.I.A. Beacon's destroyed. This a real fucking mess." I said.

"Yeah. So what do we do now?" She asked.

"Why are you asking me?" I asked.

"Half our team may be gone but your still our leader, or at least my leader." She said.

"Were equals now Cerise. I'm not your leader anymore. Especially in this condition." I said.

"Well it's not like I have anywhere else to go anyway. I left Mistral without telling my parents. I vowed to never go back. Atlas is out of the question, and I don't know where any of our friends are." She said.

"You had friends?" I asked with a small laugh.

"Make all the jokes you want. Once your out of the hospital I'll get my revenge." She said.

"Never stopped me before." I said.

The door opened to reveal a man dressed in all black. He had jeans on and a long sleeve shirt with a bullet proof vest over top. He had a black twin filter gas mask with reflective red eyes covering his face leaving only his dark colored hair showing.

"Sorry to interrupt lovebirds, but you have some visitors on the way soon." He said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He closed the door and took off his mask. A cloud of steam escaped from his mouth.

"I forget Shade never got a chance to properly introduce us. Carmine Sable." He said walking over and extending his hand. He was standing on my left side.

"Kinda hard to shake your hand on that side." I said.

"Oh yeah. Looks like your missing an arm." He said.

"Is that really appropriate right now?" Cerise asked.

"Easy just a little joke to try to break the ice." He said walking over to the other side.

"You're Shade's mercenary friend with the hacking software right?" I asked.

"That would be me. Hope you got a chance to use the thing." He said.

"Oh yeah. Before all three rounds we made it to in the tournament." I said shaking his hand. "So why are you here?"

"How about we wait till Shade gets here first. He's on his way with a few other people." He said.

"How were you able to message him? Communications should be down." Cerise said.

"They are, but this is why hand held transceivers are nice. They may have a short radius of signal, but they at least work when fancy technology goes to shit." He said.

"Why is Shade coming here, and who's coming with him?" I asked

"He's the reason you and I are here in the first place. As far as who he's bringing with him I have no clue." He said placing his mask back on. "I just figured I'd give you two a heads up." With that he walked out of the room.

"Did you know he was here?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he wouldn't tell me why they were guarding your room. I had to wait a day just to get permission to enter your room. I'm pretty sure they have a camera set up in here somewhere. I just haven't bothered looking for it." She said.

"When were you planning on telling me?" I asked.

"I was getting to it. Like I said a lot has happened in the last few months." She said.

"So I can't help but notice he called us lovebirds, and you didn't say or do anything." I said.

"Y-yeah well neither did you, and you have a girlfriend." She said blushing.

"Yeah..." I said.

Technically I didn't. Due to the contract I signed I would have been forced to leave beacon anyway. Meaning I wasn't able to date Weiss anyway. I'm sure Jacques had a hand in it, but it still hurts knowing Weiss never came to even see if I was okay. 'Fuck him. Once I'm out of here I'm going to Atlas to find her.'

"Hey you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah I'm fine just thinking everything over." I said.

"You're not going to Atlas." She said.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't thinking about that." I said.

"Yes you were. You went silent after I mentioned Weiss. I don't know what were going to do, but you're not going to Atlas." She said.

"Why?" I asked starting to get irritated.

"For one it sounds like Ironwood is about to close the borders to Atlas. Meaning no one will get in or out. Two I'm not letting you go out and risk your life on a potential suicide mission. Three if by some miracle you make in into Atlas. Jacques will no doubt have paid someone to execute you on the spot. You're the only person I have left that I care about. I don't want to lose you too." She said.

"I can at least try." I said.

Cerise stood up and slapped me across the face. Hard.

"Damn it Crimson didn't you listen to anything I just said? It would take a miracle just to get into Atlas. Weiss' father would have guards paid in hush money to keep a look out for you in case you ever decided to go there. Even if you tried fighting them off you have one arm. You are way too limited right now. I can't lose the only friend I have left. I have no where else to go otherwise. Just stay here. We'll figure something out together. Just don't leave." She said tears streaming down her face.

"Cerise..." I said. She sat back down and began crying with her head burred on my chest. "Alright you win. I'll stay until we figure something out." I said rubbing her back.

After a few minutes she was able to calm down and dry her eyes. A knock came at the door a few minutes later.

"Come in." I said. The door opened and Shade entered wearing a suit and tie. "Well this is certainly an... interesting outfit for you."

"Yeah. I'm not very used to it either, but being the headmaster of Shade Academy I figure I need to at least look the part." He said.

"Headmaster? Since when?" I asked.

"This will be my first year. The previous headmaster decided this was going to be his last year. Ozpin recommended I take the position. So ever since the last concert you guys were invited to Ozpin has been essentially showing me the ropes. Well he was anyway." He said.

"So does that mean?" Cerise said.

"Yes. Ozpin is dead. I had a bad feeling when you were attacked after your fight. I talked to Ozpin immediately after. He said that the two of you had issues before, but not bad enough he'd try to kill you. At least not in a stadium with hundreds of witnesses. I got concerned that this was supposed to be an assassination. I told him to send you to Vacuo. Then I called Carmine, and had him be on stand by for guard duty. His teammate Regalia healed the more severe injuries to you. However due to the amount of blood loss you had to be placed into a medical coma. Since then carmine and his team began guarding your room in case anyone tried to finish you off. However I'm pretty sure no one else knows your here anyway. Cant be to careful though." He said.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Well that depends. How bad do you wanna get back in the fight?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well the next school year will be starting soon. I'd love to have both of you join. I won't even have you go though the initiation I have set up since I've already seen the two of you fight before." He said.

"Isn't that kind of unfair to the other new students? Not to mention cheating?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I'm the headmaster I can make whatever decisions I want." He said.

"Makes sense. At least now we have a plan." I said.

"I think your both forgetting about an important detail. Crimson is down one arm. How can he fight like that?" Cerise asked.

"Recovery will definitely be a factor. We'll be willing to work with him to be able to get into fighting shape. Besides you'd be surprised what amputated people can do. A famous rock band has a drummer with only one arm, and I've heard of a professional wrestler with one leg. I know your worried about him, but if this is what he wants to do. As his teammate you need to at least let him try." He said.

"Alright if that's what he wants." She said.

"Alright I'll make arrangements for you to move into the dorms as soon as your out. Classes wont start for about a month yet. That should be plenty of time for you to be on your feet. In the mean time I believe I have some people here you might know." He said gesturing to the door. The members of team CFVY entered the room.

"What's up Freshman." Coco said.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"I'll leave you guys to get reacquainted." Shade said walking out of the room and closing the door.

"After the fall of Beacon we decided to transfer here. Where is the rest of your team?" Coco asked.

"Skyler went with Ren and Nora. Xana... died in the attack." Cerise said.

"Oh no." Velvet said.

"It's unfortunate, but we all knew the risks of becoming huntsman." Yatsuhashi said.

"Yeah." I said. We all sat in silence for a moment.

"Have you seen your girlfriend at all?" Coco asked.

"No I just woke up today. As far as I'm aware she hasn't been here once. I'm sure Jacques is responsible for that." I said.

"What do you mean?" Velvet asked.

"Crimson made a stupid bet with Weiss' father that if he won the Vytal Festival. Then he would be forced to make a public announcement that he was happy with his daughters decision, and practically welcome him into the family. If he lost He would be forced to leave Beacon Academy, and the relationship would be over." Cerise said.

"Was that really a smart idea?" Fox asked.

"Not in the slightest, I let him get to me and I got cocky. I didn't think things though." I said.

"So when did you plan on telling me this information?" Coco asked tipping her sunglasses down.

"Um. Never. With how well we did in the tournament I didn't think it was going to be an issue. Also I was afraid what you'd do to me if I did." I said.

"Yeah you're in for it when you get out." Coco said.

"We probably shouldn't stay too long. If Cerise is interested we could show her around campus. I'm sure Shade won't have an issue with that." Yatsuhashi said.

"Yeah your probably right. You okay with that?" Coco asked.

"I'm not sure." Cerise said.

"Cerise go I'll be fine. I've got some of the best mercs in Remnant guarding me. Besides if I'm right you've been here just about every day since you came here to begin with right?" I asked.

"Maybe." She said

"Coco take her out for the day. I'm sure she could use the company." I said.

"No problem Freshman. Come on guys." Coco said.

"Um actually Coco. Would it be alright if I stay with Crimson tonight?" Velvet asked.

"Can I ask why?" She asked.

Velvet pulled a necklace out of her pocket. She looked at it before gripping it tight.

"Crimson. That okay with you?" Coco asked.

"Sure. I'd probably go insane being here alone anyway." I said.

"Given your negotiation skills I'd think you're already insane." Fox said.

"Wait if you want someone to stay here with you then why are you making me go with them?" Cerise said.

"Don't disobey your leaders instructions." I said.

"You said you weren't my leader anymore." Cerise said crossing her arms.

"Fine then as my final act as leader I'm giving Coco temporary control of you for the day." I said.

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way." Cerise said.

"You heard the monkey. Alright everyone were leaving. Take care of him and yourself Velvet." Coco said pushing Cerise out of the room. Yatsuhashi and Fox followed after and closed the door.

 **(Cerise's POV)**

"Why are you making me go with? I'm his teammate if anything I should be the one to help him out." I said.

"Let's get outside and I'll explain." Coco said.

We walked outside the hospital and Coco had me sit on a bench next to her.

"You guys go let Shade know what's going on. We'll meet up with you when were ready." Coco said.

Yatsu and Fox nodded and walked away.

"Alright so what's going on?" I asked.

"You saw the necklace velvet pulled out right?" Coco said.

"Yeah." I said confused.

"Ruby gave it to her on their last date when she ended up passing out in our dorm. After the the fall of Beacon I made the decision that we were going to transfer to Shade Academy. Fox and Yatsu were okay with it. Velvet wasn't. She wasn't even able to talk to Ruby afterward. She wanted to stay with Ruby, but with how long she'd been with us she didn't want to break up the team either. I told her no matter what decision she made I would accept it. She decided to stay with us. I've heard her crying at night many times since then. I'm pretty sure she's regretted her decision from the start. I've tried talking to her about it, but she's either to strong or stubborn to tell me how she really feels. She probably thinks I'll either get mad, or that I'll decide we go back. She doesn't wanna feel like a burden to us. They both lost the person they loved. I've seen the pressure it's put her under. I've thought about going back multiple times. I know that will make her feel better knowing she can be with Ruby, but I also know it'll make her feel like a nuisance. It's a double edge sword. They both need a shoulder to cry on after essentially losing the person they both care about most. I know you are worried about him too, but trust me this is the right option right now. Besides if he's right, and you've been here almost every day for the past three months you could use a day or two out." Coco said.

"That makes sense I guess. I guess after losing Xana and getting into the huge argument with Skyler. I just wanted to do anything I could for Crimson. He's the only person I had left. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost him too." I said. Tears started forming in my eyes.

Coco wiped them away. "Hey everything will be alright now. Besides you'll always have me here for you."

 **(Crimson POV)**

"So not that I'm not happy to see you, but why didn't you wanna go with you team." I asked.

Velvet slowly walked over and sat in the chair next to me.

"Am I a bad person?" She asked.

"Of course not. Why would you even think that?" I asked.

"I left her. I left Ruby when she would have needed me most. I wasn't even able to tell her goodbye." She said. Tears began streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry I need a little more information." I said.

"After the fall of Beacon Coco decided our team was going to transfer to Shade Academy. Yatsu and Fox didn't have an issue with it. I was hesitant. Coco knew that and gave me the option to stay with Ruby. I couldn't break up our team so I decided to go with them. I wanted to tell Ruby, but when I found her she was unconscious. Her uncle said she was okay. Just that something took a toll on her. Ever since then I've been asking myself if I made the right decision." She pulled her necklace back out and looked at the symbol on it. It was a red rose similar to Ruby's. "I look at this every night and cry. I wonder if she's okay. If she's mad at me. How horrible I made her feel. I just left her."

"Have you ever thought about asking Coco to go back?" I asked.

"I can't. I won't ask my team to change what they wanted just for me. If I did then I'd just be selfish." She said.

"At least you didn't risk you're relationship on a stupid bet. If I hadn't been so stupid I wouldn't be in this situation. Jaune may be an asshole, but he was right. I had no business being in that match. It should have been Xana. Then maybe things would be different. Xana and Pyrrha might still be alive. Ruby might not have gotten knocked unconscious, And I wouldn't have lost my damn arm." I said.

"That wasn't your fault Crimson. None of it was." She said.

"It sure feels like it. If I hadn't made that stupid bet I might still be with Weiss. Xana would have gone on in my place like he should have. Maybe I could have stopped him from dying during the fall." I said.

"And maybe he would have died anyway. From what I heard the man he fought cut right through his aura. If you had fought him you'd have probably met the same fate." She said.

"I could have at least tried. I'm useless. I have been since my first day at Beacon. I was scared of damn near everything. I almost got killed because of it. Everything has been my fault. I've caused so many people problems ever since then. I've been a selfish jerk from the beginning." I said. Tears were now starting to flow from my eyes as well. Velvet stood up and wrapped her arms around me.

"You are not useless. You have never done anything to hurt me. You've shown me nothing but kindness since we met. You even defended me from Cardin without even knowing me. When it came to telling you about the person I had a crush on you gave me advise and even tried to help me. You aren't a bad person." She said.

"Neither are you Velvet. You are probably one of the kindest and sweetest girls I've ever met. You even asked me to not go to hard on Cardin. Even though he tortured you. I'm sure if Ruby knew she would understand. She may have been younger than all of us, but there were time's she seemed more grown up than most of us. Not a lot of moments especially if cookies were involved. She would have understood. I'm sure someone will explain the situation to her. Yeah she'll probably be upset at first, but I'm sure she will be okay." I said.

She lifted her head up and I got a perfect view of her brown tear stained eyes. I slowly moved my hand up and wiped he tears away resting my hand on her cheek.

"You are a true friend Crimson." She said.

"Y-you too Velvet." I said.

Slowly the gap between us began to narrow. We both closed our eyes as we got closer together until our lips met.

 **AN: He's Alive! Remember to Check out The Burning Ruler and Nightmare 6-4's works as well. Also Check out my other story Kitty-Kat (Formerly Bunnies Claws) as I have decided to continue it. Also check out Team BAWM on The Burning Ruler's page I'm co-writing it along with The Burning Ruler and Nightmare 6-4. Note Chapters will probably be coming out later than normal due to trying to write 3 at once.**


	18. Chapter 18

We slowly separated and looked into each others eyes again.

"Oh no. I-I'm so sorry." Velvet said standing up.

She was about to walk away, but I managed to grab her hand and stop her.

"Velvet wait. I'm just as much at fault here. We both should have stopped it, but neither of us did. Even if you leave now we'll be going to school soon enough anyway. Our teammates will notice something is up if we suddenly start acting weird around each other. Meaning Coco and Cerise will find out. We'll have to talk about it eventually anyway so we might as well try before they find out and make things worse." I said.

"I-I know... I already feel bad for leaving Ruby without saying good bye. Now I've done something even worse." She said.

"Trust me I feel just as bad if not worse. I still love Weiss. Even though I don't know if I'll ever see her again. I already hurt Ruby once when I started dating Weiss. I would feel horrible if I hurt her again." I said.

"What do we do now?" She asked sitting in the chair next to me. She placed her hands over her face to try to hide her tears.

We both sat in silence for a while. A girl with purple hair wearing a purple skirt with black leggings, a black jacket with a white shirt, and purple hair walked in.

"Hey Carmine told me you were awake so... Is this a bad time?" She asked seeing our expressions.

"Um. Who are you?" I asked.

"Regalia Aureolin." She said saluting. "I'm part of Carmine's crew. Is everything alright?"

"Short answer not really." I said.

"Shit. I can come back later if you two need a little time to yourselves."' She said.

"N-no it's fine I could use a little air anyway. Did my team already leave?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah. If your heading out for a bit take Laurel with you. With everything that has happened lately we can't take to many risks." Regalia said.

"Thanks." Velvet said. She stepped out and closed the door.

"I hope I didn't interrupt something serious." Regalia said.

"Not really. Just some personal stuff. Anyway is there something I can help you with?" I asked.

"Oh. Right. I came to check on your injuries." She said. She was a little surprised at how well I had recovered. "What's your semblance?"

"I get a boost of strength and aura. Also I lose all sense of fear. Why?" I asked.

"Did you use it when you woke up?" She asked.

"Yeah is something wrong?" I asked.

She walked over to the IV and took it out. "Try to stand up."

I slowly swung my legs over the edge of the bed and lifted myself up. I struggled a bit at first but I was slowly able to support myself.

"Wow you should not have been able to do that yet. You're legs should have given out, and sent you to the floor." She said.

"I mean I was always a fast healer." I said.

"Then whats with the scar over your eye?" She asked.

"I got that when I was a child. Before I unlocked my aura." I said.

"Try walking around the room a bit." She said.

I slowly started walking. My legs felt like they would buckle at any moment. I slowly made it to the door.

"Does your semblance have a time limit?" She asked.

"Yeah thirty minutes. Then I have a twenty minute recharge." I said.

"How long ago did you activate it?" She asked.

"Um. When did Shade arrive?" I asked.

"About forty minutes ago." She said.

"Then I should be fine to use it again." I said.

"Go ahead and do that." She said.

I activated my semblance, and shortly after all the weakness in my legs began fading away.

"Wow I feel great." I said jumping a couple times.

"Feel like going for a walk?" She asked.

"Sure where are we going?" I said.

"Well I'm sure your girlfriend would be happy to see you up, and moving around?" She said.

"My what?" I asked.

"Oh are you two not dating? My apologies I thought you were. Carmine told me she requested to stay with you tonight, so I guess I just kinda assumed." She said.

"No. I had a girlfriend before coming here. My stupidity made me lose her." I said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Not that it's any of my business, but do you have feelings for the girl who's here with you?" She said.

"I'm not sure. Even if I did I don't know if I'd be able to tell her. I've caused enough trouble in people's lives. I don't wanna ruin anyone else's." I said.

"Don't say things like that. You can't make everyone happy. You're gonna hurt people. Your gonna piss them off. It's nature, but your also going to make people happy. I'm sure you've done a lot of good for someone out there. If you want proof talk to Carmine. That man is a story book of mistakes, heartbreak, love and loss. I'm sure there were plenty of times he wanted to give up, and thought it would be better if he wasn't around. He's fought with demons all his life, and he still pushes on. You've made mistakes, but so does everyone. Things may seem bleak right now, but I'm sure things will turn around eventually. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think there is a bunny outside that could help you along the way if you let her. Same with any of your friends at Shade." She said.

"Maybe your right. Anyway I think you mentioned a walk." I said.

"Yeah, but first lets go get you a cane." She said.

"I was just jumping a bit ago. Do you really think I'll need it?" I said.

"No, but it's more of a precautionary measure." She said.

We walked to a nurses station and Regalia was able to get me a cane. We made our way out to a large square in the center of the building. The area had multiple trees, bushes, flowers, open grassy fields. There was paths all over leading to different areas. Benches, Gazebos, and even a small waterfall. It had a glass dome over top to prevent excess sand from blowing in. It was almost like being in a huge park. It was a good place to go, and imagine you weren't in a hospital. That everything was fine. Regalia stood at the entrance with Laurel.

"Damn that was fast. After three months you should be on spaghetti legs." Laurel said.

"Yeah. Luckily my semblance gives my Aura a boost." I said walking past them into the park like area. For being in the center of a hospital the air felt so much better in here. I started walking around looking for Velvet. I eventually found her near the waterfall. I walked up towards her. "This place is amazing isn't it?"

She jumped a bit before turning to see me. "Crimson? What are you doing here? You should be resting in bed. Not only that but How are you already on your feet?" She asked.

I started walking over near a bench. "Short version. My semblance helped out a lot. I was worried about you."

"I-I'm okay. I think." She said.

"Velvet we both know you're not okay. Because I'm not either, and I'm not talking about my arm." I said sitting down and gesturing her to sit next to me. She hesitated at first, but eventually sat beside me. "This place is beautiful isn't it? Even make's you forget your still in a hospital. I didn't think I'd ever get to see it again. I'd hoped if I did it wouldn't be as a patient again."

"What do you mean again?" She asked.

"This is the same hospital I was brought to when I was attacked by the grimm. I spent as much time in this park as I could. Most of the time it was to hide from the doctors." I said with a slight laugh.

"Crimson." She said quietly.

"I even tried climbing to the top of the waterfall a couple times. I made it once, but by then they knew where to find me so I didn't stay up there long." I said.

"Crimson." She said a little louder.

"They kept telling me if I didn't let the doctors take care of me..." I said before she cut me off.

"Crimson!" She yelled. "What are we going to do? I feel horrible about what we did. I feel like I betrayed Ruby. I'm scared what Coco will say when she finds out." She started crying again.

"I know. Believe me I feel horrible too. You think Coco is gonna be bad. I'll have to deal with her, and Cerise. After they get done with me I'll be lucky if I have any arms left." I said.

"Now I know I'm a horrible person. I'd been wondering for a while. This clinches it. How could I do that." She said.

"Regalia gave me some pretty good advise before I came out here. You're gonna hurt people. Your gonna piss them off. It's nature, but your also going to make people happy. You've made mistakes, but so does everyone. Things may seem bleak right now, but I'm sure things will turn around eventually. Look at me. I should have died twice. I pissed Cardin off so he went after me. I've caused Weiss to panic and worry about me countless times. I caused Ruby a lot of pain too. I made Jaune hate me to the point he tried to kill me. I blame myself for Xana getting killed, and our team being separated. I keep thinking if I hadn't made that stupid bet I wouldn't be in this mess. You may have left Ruby, but you did it because you thought it was the right thing to do. No matter what decision you'd have made you'd have regretted it. Yes we kissed. I know this doesn't sound like a good excuse, but it was a spur of the moment thing. We were both emotional and looking for comfort in each other. I know you still care deeply for Ruby, and you know I still care deeply for Weiss. The unfortunate facts right now. Are until they get communications running again we don't know if, or when we'll ever see them again. I'm not saying that makes what we did right, but it's something were going to have to accept. Right now everything in the world is a mess. The best thing everyone can do right now is try. Try moving on, try to make due, and try to have hope. If we fall apart at every mistake then things are only going to get worse. The people who attacked Beacon will win. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to let any more mistakes stop me." I said.

I stood up and took a couple steps forward. "I'll train as long as it takes. I'm going to become a huntsman. I'm gonna find Jaune, and find out why he did this to me. I'm gonna protect anyone and everyone I can. I'm gonna try to find Weiss again some day. If she's moved on then so be it. I will not stop living my life based on mistakes. No matter what happens I will continue moving forward. Even if it costs me every friend I have. Even if I never find special someone. I'll fight till my last breath to protect those I care about." I said.

I was about to turn around when Velvet wrapped her arms around me. "You'll never lose me. No matter what happens I'll always stand by your side, I think there is something you should know though." She said as she pulled me back towards the bench. "Crimson I've had a major crush on you for a long time."

"Let me guess since I saved you from Cardin?" I asked.

"Yeah. That obvious?" She asked.

"Well some would call it cliché. If it were in some story some would call it lazy writing. Either way it was the most likely." I said.

"Oh... Well it's true. I didn't realize it right away, but my feelings slowly grew. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I was so scared what would happen. Then when I came back from that mission and found out you and Weiss were dating it hurt a lot. It took everything I had to try to move on. Slowly I grew attracted to Ruby. I felt like things were going to repeat again so I needed advise. Like I told you back then you were the easiest person to talk to about that kind of stuff. When you told me not to wait I knew I had to tel her, but I was so scared. When Ruby said yes at the competition I was so happy, but later that night she asked if I had feelings for you. Apparently she'd caught me looking in your direction multiple times. So from the start she was worried you were going to become an issue for her again. I told her that I did at one point. However I wanted to move away from those feelings, and that I wanted to be with her. So when we kissed back in your room part of me wanted it. That's why I felt so bad. Ruby was worried about this from the beginning. So when it happened I realized I made her biggest fear happen. As hard as it is to admit. You are right though. We don't know if or when we are going to see them again. We need to move on. We can't let everything in our past hold us back. If I see Ruby and she hates me for this then so be it. It won't be easy, but I think as long as I have you by my side. I will be able to move on." She said.

"I would be lying if I said I knew about your feelings. I feel like an even bigger jerk towards Ruby. She puts up such a strong act, but holds in so much. If I ever see her again I'll have to find some way to make everything up to her." I said.

"All that being said. Crimson. I need to ask. Where do we currently stand?" She asked.

"I'm not really sure. Part of me would like to say that were together now. However I think that would be jumping the gun, and overreacting to everything that has happened today. I think the best idea for us is to stay friends. I'm not saying that there can't ever be anything more between us. What I'm saying is that if something is going to happen between us then we need to let it happen naturally. Not right after an emotional event." I said.

"I understand." She said.

"We should probably start heading back now." I said standing up.

"Yeah... your probably right." She said following me. I started walking before she pulled me back and hugged me again. "Just let me have this moment first. Please?"

"Sure Velvet." I said.

She pulled her head back and kissed me again. When the kiss broke she placed her head on my shoulder and held me tighter "Even if nothing happens between us. I wanted to show you how I felt. I don't regret this one. You can say this is the result of an emotional event. I don't care. This is how I feel about you Crimson. I've been holding it back for so long. You're the one who told me not to wait, and to live without regrets. Right now even if we don't end up together I don't regret the decision I made."

"You're sure about this?" I asked.

"I am." She said.

"Alright. Don't get me wrong I appreciate you being honest with me. I still think we need to give this some time first. I want to make sure this is what we both want before we go to far. Emotions are still high right now. I know you said this isn't because of that, and that it's how you really feel. I want to be certain of it first." I said.

"I understand. This is enough for now." She said.

I held her tighter and wrapped my tail around her to make up for my missing arm.

"Umm Crimson. Do you realize where your tail is?" she asked.

I looked down and realized my tail was wrapped around her butt. I let go of her, and took a couple steps back.

"T-that was a total accident I-I swear." I said blushing.

Velvet started laughing. "It's fine. I know you didn't mean it. Anyway you were probably right we should be heading back."

We started walking back to the entrance of the park. When we got there Carmine was standing inside waiting for us.

"So I'm guessing things are better between you two? Regalia said you two were having some issues before you came in here." He said.

"There is still a lot we're gonna have to work though, but things are definitely better." I said.

"Yeah. Where is Regalia? She was a big help to us." Velvet said.

"About that. Crimson. Do you know a Madison or Charles Quinn?" He asked

"Yeah they are the people who ran the orphanage when I was in. Why?" I asked

"They are here. They want to see you. Regalia and Laurel are watching them. They had a picture of you from their orphanage, but I wanted to run it by you as well as a photo of them before I let them see you." He said.

He handed me the photo and his scroll. The photo was one of the yearly pictures Madison insisted we take each year. Charles argued it every year, but she would always win. One year I asked her why she did it every year despite her husband fighting it every year. She told me that because she was never able to have kids of her own she always thought of the kids in her orphanage as her own. Even though her husband wouldn't admit it out loud he felt the same. She wanted the picture to remember all her kids that left. She enjoyed thinking of how they did their job with them now they had someone to actually be able to call parents. Her husband on the other hand. He protested each year because he didn't like remembering all the children that had left. Not because he didn't care about them. Because it hurt him each time one of them left. He didn't want to be reminded of the pain.

The picture was from my final year there. A few days after the picture was taken I moved to patch to enroll at signal. It had all the children currently in the orphanage standing in front of the building. Madison and Charles stood in the back. I stuck out over the other kids. Most of them being at least four years younger than me. They were so upset when I left for signal. They were really happy for me but they hated to see me go. I had been there for so long. They were the closest thing to parents I had. With so many other children coming and going. I think I was the closest thing to an actual son they had.

I looked at the picture Carmine took of them. There was no question. This was the same couple who raised me for so long. Charles had a flannel jacket on with a black shirt underneath, and hair that was two colors. What used to be a dark red and black hair. Was now gray on one side and a very dull red on the other. Madison was wearing a white shirt and had white hair. Madison's hair had always been white. She used to joke that it was because of all the kids she had to deal with over the years, but I had seen pictures of her when she was younger. I will say there may have been some truth to what she said. Some of the pictures she had seen showed her hair used to have pink tips.

"No doubt about it. It's them." I said.

"Do you want to see them?" He asked.

"Did they say why they came?" I asked.

"They heard you had come back. I don't know how since communications are down though. They said they had something they needed to tell you. That it was important." He said.

"They probably heard because I was in this hospital as a kid. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the doctors or nurses that I dealt with back then was still here. They probably told them I was here. Knowing them they probably asked to be notified as soon as possible when I woke up." I said.

"Are you sure you're up for it? You only just woke up today. Reality is your ass shouldn't even be up and monkeying about right now." He said.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. I'll talk to them." I said.

"Alright, but one of us is going to be sitting in to make sure nothing happens. Three months in here and now people want to visit you. It's way to suspicious." He said.

"No offense Carmine. I understand your suspicion. The only person I'll allow to be in that room with me is Velvet. You and your team are awesome for protecting me, but this is something personal. Velvet knows me more on a personal level than any of you. She's the only one I feel comfortable taking in there if your going to insist someone be there. Besides man come on they are old, and have been taking care of children for the past twenty or more years. What threat can they possibly be? I'm guessing you'd have checked them for weapons so there shouldn't be anything to worry about." I said.

"Yeah I know, but I'm gotta make sure. I have my orders from Shade. By the way nothing about the monkey comment?" He asked.

"Please the last time I was in a hospital Yang called me a monkey, and tossed a banana to me." I said.

"How many times have you been in a hospital?" He asked.

"Let me think. Once with the grimm attack. Twice at Signal. Once at Beacon. This would make number five." I said.

"Nice one more and your visit is free right?" He asked.

"I wish. That only works if it's the same hospital each time." I said.

"Not to interrupt, but didn't you have something to do?" Velvet asked.

"Oh right. Alright I'll allow Velvet in the room, but I'm placing a camera in the room to make sure nothing happens. Not that I don't trust her, but technically it's part of my job right now. I wont use one with sound to keep it private." He said

"Alright let's go." I said.

We began heading back to my room. Carmine had Celadon set up a small camera in the corner of the room. I laid back down in my bed and Velvet took the chair next to me. I adjusted the bed to let me sit up while Carmine went to go get Charles and Madison. A couple minutes later He opened the door and the old couple entered the room. When they saw me they both stood in shock.

"Huh. I think that was the same expression you gave me when I was here last time. Some things never change do they?" I said with a slight smile.

"Good lord boy." Charles said.

"What happened?" Madison asked.

"It's kind of a long story." I said rubbing my neck. Carmine had stepped out and closed the door.

"We've got plenty of time son. Please tell us. After you introduce your friend here." He said.

"This is my friend Velvet Scarlatina." I said gesturing to Velvet. "Velvet this is the couple that raised me in the orphanage."

"It's nice to meet you both." Velvet said.

"Likewise." Madison said with a small bow.

"Well after I enrolled at Signal I worked hard to try to get into one of the huntsman academies. It went pretty well for the most part. Until one of the training sessions ran a simulation with an ursa grimm. I had a panic attack. Apparently that attack all those years ago affected me more than I thought. Because of it it was almost impossible to get into any of the academies. I had to pretty much beg one of the teachers to help me get into Beacon. When I got there I was placed into a preexisting team since I missed initiation. The team was all girls." I said.

"That's my boy!" Charles yelled.

"Charles don't you remember how nervous he was back then? I'm surprised you didn't have a panic attack right there." Madison said.

"Oh. Right. I still don't understand how you were so shy all the time." He said.

"It's cause while the two of you were nothing, but kind to me. The other kids on the other hand weren't. They were the reason I tried to run away in the first place. It got a little better after that incident, but only because I became the oldest kid after a couple years. Then when I got to signal it was worse again. I blended in so well most people forgot I was even in the class most of the time." I said.

"Is that where you met your friend here?" Madison asked.

"No actually I didn't meet Velvet until I was at Beacon." I said.

"Yeah he ended up saving me from a bully that was picking on me in the cafeteria." Velvet said.

"You stood up to someone on your own?" Charles asked.

"Yeah I discovered my semblance at Signal. When I activate it I get a strength in boost and aura and I loose all fear." I said.

"Which means it makes him do a lot of stupid things." Velvet said.

"I didn't hear you complaining when I helped get Cardin off your back." I said.

"No, but you pulled a hair from Yang's head to see what would happen." She said.

"What I wanted to test a theory." I said.

"If you would survive?" She said.

"No. To see if my semblance could tank they hit. It mostly did." I said.

Charles and Madison started laughing.

"It's so hard to believe you're the same Crimson. You've changed so much." Madison said.

"Well it wasn't easy. I made a lot of good friends at Beacon." I said.

"And a couple enemies." Velvet said with a sad expression.

"Yeah. That too." I said looking at my missing arm.

"What exactly happened at Beacon. We know about the attack on the city, and we managed to catch the first couple rounds of the Vytal Festival." Charles said.

"Well the first night I almost did have a panic attack. I found a secluded spot and activated my semblance. I listened to some music to help me calm down. After a bit my new teammate Weiss found me and we talked though the night. Come to find out she was the heiress to the Schnee dust company. Some time later I was sitting with my team and another team I had made friends with for dinner. That's when Cardin was picking on Velvet. It didn't help that one of the guys I was sitting with was also getting picked on my Cardin. We were trying to tell him that we'd help him out if he'd let us, or that he needs to stand up for himself. Eventually I got pissed and my semblance activated. Long story short I pulled him off Velvet then tricked him into a fight with me later that day. Which I won really easily." I said.

"I still think you went a little far with that." Velvet said.

"You're probably not wrong, but the Emerald Forrest incident would have happened no matter how I beat him." I said.

"Emerald Forrest incident?" Charles asked.

"Yeah... Our class went to Emerald Forrest to gather sap for another professor. Well Cardin wanted revenge, so he threw a jar of sap at me and released a box of rapier wasps at me. They was the easy part. An ursa showed us short after. Back at signal they wouldn't use real grimm in case something went wrong. So the attacks weren't as bad. This was a real one though. I went into a full out panic attack. Jaune fought off the grimm while Weiss and Pyrrha moved me away from the area. I blacked out and my heart was racing to the point I almost died right there. I don't remember the details to this day, but somehow Weiss was able to calm me down enough to get me out of a fatal situation. After that Professor Ozpin told me I either had to get the situation under control. Or I'd have had to leave Beacon. My friends helped me out a lot during that time. I don't get the attacks anymore, but I still shake a bit after taking down an ursa. Also I pretty much lost my nervousness problem. Especially around girls." I said.

"Except for Coco and Cerise." Velvet said.

"No that's a special case." I said.

"Which is?" She asked.

"I'll tell you when I think of a good reason." I said.

They all started laughing at me.

"Anyway then what happened?" Charles asked.

"I had to go though a test and passed. I was even given my own team. I also learned of my other rival. Jaune apparently took it really hard when I stood up to Cardin. No matter how many times I told him I didn't do it because I felt sorry for him, or anything like that he wouldn't believe me. It really changed him. After that Weiss and I started dating. I met her father pissed him off essentially just because I'm a faunus. Made a stupid deal. Kicked ass in the Vytal Festival... Until the semi-finals. Jaune and I faced off. He won. After the match I went to congratulate him. He turned back to me. I saw pure rage in his eyes. I saw his sword move. Then I woke up here." I said.

Everyone's expression had changed. They were now all solemn. Madison was nearly in tears.

"After Jaune attacked him he was taken here. Jaune yelled something about not accepting the loss, and being a coward. He was arrested on the spot. Then the White Fang and a bunch of grimm attacked the school. Jaune somehow got away. Pyrrha and Crimson's teammate Xana were killed." Velvet said.

The room was silent for a bit.

"Are you sure this is the right thing for you to be doing son?" Charles asked.

"No. It's not. I've come too far to give up now though. If I would quit now then Xana and Pyrrha would have given their lives for nothing. I chose this life for a reason. I may die from it, but I'll gladly give my life so someone else can live. You two gave up so much of your lives looking after children who didn't have homes. Things got hard a lot, but you never gave up and did everything you could to take care of us. Nothing will stop me now. I didn't let a traumatic event stop me, and I refuse to let losing an arm stop me." I said.

"I know I won't be able to stop you. So I'm not going to try. I want you to know that I couldn't be more proud of you Crimson. You've come so far and grown up so much." Madison said.

"Don't give up Crimson. You've got a good heart. I'm proud of you too." Charles said.

"Thank you both. So Carmine said you had something important to talk to me about." I said.

They looked at each other, and there expressions went grim.

"Crimson. There's something we've been meaning to talk to you about, but this might be something only the three of us should discuss." He said.

"It's fine I trust Velvet. Besides Carmine wouldn't allow it anyway, and since she's the only one here I really know I'll probably end up talking to about it eventually anyway." I said.

"Crimson. Your parents aren't dead."


	19. Chapter 19

"They're what?" I asked.

"It's true. We're sorry we lied to you for all these years. We understand if you're upset with us." Charles said.

"Why did you decide to tell me now?" I asked

"After the attack on Beacon. We figured if we ever got the chance to see you again, we shouldn't hide it from you anymore." He said.

"Alright how much of what you told me is true?" I asked.

"Not a lot. Your father is indeed a human and your mother a Faunus like yourself. It was your mother's idea to hide the truth from you. She didn't want you growing up thinking they didn't care about you. So, they wanted you to think they were heroes in the hopes that you'd have a better outlook on life." Madison said.

"Last we heard your father is working with the R&D Division within the Schnee Dust Company and is the reason why your bank account is so plentiful. As far as your mother. She should still be living on Menagerie." Charles said.

"Okay that makes what Jacques said about my family history being scarce make a little more sense. If that's the case though, shouldn't my last name tip him off to a member of his staff? Especially one who was able to cover me financially?" I asked

"Vayr is your mother's name. Your parents' names are Mai Vayr and Shuiro Shigemura. They figured it would be better for you to take her name instead." Madison said.

"Alright so then what is the true story?" I asked.

"As far as your parents themselves we actually don't know a lot about them. I know they are both originally from Mistral other than that we don't have a lot of information. We know that your mother brought you to us when you were only one year old. When we asked why all she said was this was the best option for you. She made us promise to give you the false story when you grew up. I wish we could tell you more, but that's about all we know. They did come to the orphanage once, but it was only to give us the information for the account they set up for you. When we tried to get any further information about why they left you here they wouldn't answer. It's clear they cared about you, but even we aren't sure why they would give you up." Charles said.

The room was quiet for a while. I was trying to process everything that I had heard. I finally snapped back to reality when Velvet grabbed my hand.

"Crimson are you okay?" Velvet asked.

"Y-yeah. Just a lot to take in. I appreciate you telling me the truth. I'm not upset with either of you. I'm sure there is a part of me that should be, but I'm not. You just did what was asked of you, and I can't begin to thank you enough for what you've done for me. Although this does give me a lot to think about and raises a lot of questions." I said.

"We hate to leave like this, but it's getting late. We should probably be heading out." Charles said.

"It's no problem." I said. I got up and walked over to hug them both.

Madison walked over and hugged Velvet also. "Please continue to look after him Velvet. Clearly he's become a handful."

"I'll do my best. Luckily, he'll have Cerise and the rest of my team to help protect him." Velvet said.

"You make it sound like I get into trouble on purpose." I said.

"Cardin, Yang and Jaune aren't enough examples?" Velvet asked.

"Hey. Jaune wasn't intentional." I said.

Charles started laughing again. "She's a good match for you Crimson. You really picked a good one."

"Oh. We're not together Mr. Quinn." Velvet said.

"That's a shame. The two of you seem like you would be a cute couple." Madison said.

"I'm starting to feel like the real reason you came was to embarrass me." I said.

"We raised you. It's part of the job." Charles said.

With that the two of them left the room. A couple minutes later Laurel came in to remove the camera from the room. Carmine came in as Laurel was leaving.

"I talked with Shade. Since you're already up and walking around you'll be released tomorrow morning. He's getting your room set up now and has cleared everything with the hospital. It probably wouldn't hurt to use your semblance at least a couple more times to help any remaining issues." Carmine said.

"From what Regalia and I discussed it sounds like the only issue left is being unarmed." I said.

"No, you were disarmed. Unarmed means you have no arms." He said.

"On a related note. Know where I can get a new weapon? I'm not sure what happened to my old ones, and with only one hand I'll probably have to change up my fighting style." I said.

"I actually have a guy in Vale that make's weapons. After we get you to Shade Academy I have to go back there anyway. Tell me what you're thinking, and I'll put an order in for you." He said.

"Give me the night to think it over." I said.

"Alright. Make sure you both get some rest. We'll be taking off at around nine." He said before heading towards the door. "Don't have too much fun tonight you two."

Velvet and I looked at each other blushing.

"He can be a real ass at times." I said.

"I've noticed. Anyway, it seems like we're going to have a busy day tomorrow. So, we should probably get some rest." She said.

"Yeah probably. I'm going to be up for a while trying to think of what kind of weapon I'd want." I said.

"I could show you some pictures I've taken to help give you some ideas." She said pulling a camera out of the wooden box she had with her. She started flipping through the pictures each one of them of a different person at Beacons weapons including my own.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why do you have a bunch of pictures of just about every person at Beacon's weapons? Including mine." I asked. I took a closer look at the picture of my guns. "When did you even take this?"

"Oh. Right you never got to see it since you were hurt before the attack." She said with a solemn expression. "This camera is part of my weapon along with the box I carry it in. I can take a picture of someone's weapon and make a light copy of it. Combining that with my mimicry semblance I can copy any skills I've watched the wielder do." She said placing the camera back in the box. She then created a light copy of my guns. She had then changed them into their sword modes. The blades had a slight blue and red glow on them. She then started swinging them around for a bit showing off her mimicry. "The only problem is once I make it it's on a short timer and then if I'd want to use this particular weapon again, I'd have to take another picture of it." The swords began to fade away as she finished her explanation.

"That's so awesome. I wish I could have seen it in action." I said.

"Maybe someday you will." She said.

"I hate to say it, but you're probably right. From what I've understood what happened at Beacon was a planned attack. We're going to have a serious issue on our hands sooner than I'd like to admit. I just hope we'll be ready when the time comes." I said.

"I know you will be. You came so far after your last mishap. I know this is only going to push you further." She said.

"Well that's certainly a great confidence boost, but last time I had both my arms. Recovery is going to be hard work on its own. Along with that I'll have to train with a new weapon. Then even getting back to a fraction of what I was. It's going to be a long road, and I'm not going to lie. While I do have a new drive to improve. I'm still worried I won't be ready when the next thing happens." I said.

"I'm sure you will. Coco, Cerise and I will be training right along with you. Same with Yatsu and Fox. We've all experienced firsthand what were up against. No matter what happens we'll help each other out." She said.

"Damn right we will." I said smiling. "Anyway, you should probably get some rest. If you wouldn't mind lending me your camera, I'm going to look through it a bit longer to see if I can produce an idea."

"Just don't stay up too long." She said with a slight sadness in her voice.

"I'll be fine Lola." I said.

She gave a slight smile before she stood up. She turned out the light and laid down on the large couch. I started going through the weapons she had on her camera hoping something would catch my eye. I was surprised at some of the weapon combinations some of the other students had. I eventually came across Pyrrha and Xana's weapons. Remembering all the fun times I had with them. Knowing that I was never going to see them again. I started wondering if I was going to see any of my friends again. Wondering if I'd ever be able to apologize to Ruby. Wondering if I'd even see Weiss again. Wanting to find Jaune and find out what really happened. I knew there was a possibility Skyler wouldn't be with our team for long, but I didn't think we'd have gone our separate ways so soon. I'm glad I have Cerise and team CFVY but knowing there was a possibility I'd never see half my friends again. I didn't even have a way of contacting them to let them know I was okay. I kept scrolling through the pictures for a bit. A few minutes later I had an idea for what I wanted so I turned off the camera and placed it on a table next to the bed. I covered myself up and started trying to get some sleep.

When I woke up, I was back in my bed at Beacon.

"Was it all a dream?" I asked.

No one else was in the room with me. The clock by my bed said it was ten in the morning. I quickly got up and got ready before heading to professor port's class. When I arrived, Port was in the middle of one of his stories. I snuck in as quiet as possible and sat next to Xana.

"Dude about time you woke up. What happened to you last night?" He asked.

"I'm not exactly sure. You wouldn't believe the dream I had last night though. Did I miss anything important?" I asked.

"Nope. Same shit as always. He starts with something important then rambles off." He said.

"Right." I said.

The bell rang a few minutes later. I got up and started heading for Dr. Oobleck's class. I felt someone grab my shoulder. I turned to see Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Where are you going? Glynda's class is this way." Pyrrha said.

"Huh? Don't we have Oobleck's class next?" I asked. They both looked at me confused.

"You okay man? We've always had Goodwitch's class after Port's" Jaune said concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine. Guess that dream messed me up more than I thought." I said.

"What dream?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'll explain after class." I said walking towards Goodwitch's class. I opened the door to the classroom, but inside was the cafeteria. It was completely empty. No students, tables, or anything. I turned back to where Jaune and Pyrrha had been following me. They were both gone too, and in their place was a darkened hallway.

When I looked back into the cafeteria it had also become dark and the ceiling had lowered. There were things hanging from it and moving frantically, but it was too hard to make out what they were.

I started walking forward until something tripped me up. I looked back to see Xana's kunai lodged into the ground with the chain linked between them.

"I'm glad you decided to join us Crimson. None of this would be possible without you." A distorted voice said. I turned back to see Jaune standing over me. He was wearing black pants and a white sweatshirt under his armor that was now dark red with black trim. He knelt next to me. "You just had to be the god damn hero, didn't you? Making everyone swoon over you by doing absolutely no actual work what so ever. You took everything from me so now I'm going to make you watch as I take everything you cared about away from you."

He kicked me back into the wall and walked over towards me. I tried getting up to defend myself. As I pushed myself up, I found myself falling back to the ground. I looked to see my left arm was gone again. I started pushing myself up with my right arm as quick as I could. Jaune kicked me in the face and knocked me back into the wall. He unsheathed his sword and plunged it deep into my chest, I coughed up blood and mucus as it sliced into my lungs. Pinning me to the wall. I screamed out in pain as blood seeped out of my wound. He pulled out my gun from behind his back.

"Now, I'll get to finish what I started at the tournament." He said smiling. He switched it to its sword mode and slowly started cutting my other arm off. After it was off, he started laughing manically. "Oh, wait we can't have you bleeding out now can we!" He took out a small jar of red dust and poured it onto my chest where his sword had impaled me. I screamed in agony as the dust started burning all the way through my body, the smell of burning human flesh filled my lungs as it began to burn into my tissue. He poured some on to his hand and slammed it into my freshly cut off arm, causing me to scream even louder. He tossed the jar aside and snapped his fingers. A hooded figure appeared out of the shadows holding Xana's kunai. They were glowing red from being infused with fire dust. He slammed them into my legs deep enough to imbed them into the floor, the blades sliced through my hamstrings and filleted my tendons and burning through everything in their path. He took the chain and attached it to Skyler's boomerang. He placed the boomerang around my neck and locked the chains to the wall forcing me to look up. "Comfortable? Fantastic!"

The lights came on to reveal the figures that were hanging from the ceiling. Velvet, Cardin, Ruby, Nora, Skyler, Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Cerise, and Xana. All of them bloodied and struggling to get loose from the barb wire chains around their necks.

"Magnificent isn't it. Everyone you love and care about, hanging for their dear lives thinking they will be able to escape. Knowing full well that it's not going to happen. All because of their false hero." Jaune said.

"Jaune, what are you doing? Those are your friends, too!" I yelled.

"Are they? I seem to remember everyone always going to you when something happened. No one ever asking Jaune for help." He said.

"Then why is Pyrrha up there?" I asked.

"Oh, you didn't know? She, like every other girl here, was head over heels for you. The only reason she was with me was because she felt sorry for me like everyone else. Come on, a scrawny kid like me being with a superstar like her? No one believed it. Then even when I was starting to accept it. Thinking that it might be real. You let her die. Just like you let Xana here die." He said walking over to Xana. "If it wasn't for you, the two of them would still be alive. However, this does give a great start to the fun we'll be having together." He pulled out both my blades and began slashing at Xana's hanging body. Blood splashing everywhere with each strike tore into his flesh, chunks of bloodied epidermis dropped to the ground in a bloody mess. Jaune stopped slashing when blood stopped flying from his body and his entrails dangled from his corpse. "One down. Ten to go." Jaune said as blood dripped from the blades.

"Jaune stop this isn't you! I know we had our problems, but they were your friends too!" I pleaded.

He snapped his fingers again, and the hooded man walked over to me. He opened my mouth and poured a jar of the same red dust as before into it. After the jar was empty, he forcefully held my mouth shut. The pain was unbearable I wanted to scream again but no sound was coming out.

"Ahh now that he's quieted down, we can continue. Let's see who should be next. Oh, how about Pyrrha! This way you can see as you let them both die again!" He said impaling her own javelin into the center of her chest. She screamed out in agony. The screaming only stopped when Jaune decapitated her with her shield. Her body flopping down to the floor. He kicked her head over towards me. It hit me in the chest and rolled off me.

"I say we address the elephant in the room. I'm sure you're DYING to know why Cardin is here? You weren't friends why would he be here? He's even the reason you were in the hospital, wasn't he? Well it's simple. You caused a deep depression in him. You were the first to stand up to him, and you were so weak! He contemplated killing himself multiple times. His teammates are the only reason he didn't. Now that no one is here to stop him. He's begged me to end it haven't you buddy." Jaune said.

"Y-yes I can't live with the humiliation anymore. The only satisfaction will be him seeing me DIE!" Cardin struggled to say.

"Excellent!" Jaune said releasing him. Jaune and Cardin walked over towards me. The closer they got Cardin's body started to melt. His hair started on fire. By the time they got to me nothing remained of Cardin and his Skeleton fell over on top of me. I tried moving, but I was shackled down to tight.

"OH! I can't take it anymore! How about we skip the others for now and go on to the main event. Now I know what you're thinking. Isn't it best to save the best for last? You're right, but after seeing what Cardin of all people did to you, I can't wait to see what THIS one will do to you!" He said walking towards Weiss. I tried even harder to move, but it only seemed to increase the pain.

"Oh Weiss. I tried so hard to get her to be mine, and now I have her all to myself." He said placing his hand on her cheek. Weiss started struggling even more. Tears streaming down her face. Jaune licked her other cheek where the tears were falling from. "Don't be scared my dear. It'll all be over soon, and then you'll be mine forever." He released her from the chains and held her next to him. "She really is beautiful isn't she, Crimson? I tried so hard. I did everything I could think of. None of it worked. All because of you. She only had feelings for you. She gave you everything. She loved you, and what did you do in return? You risked her on a bet only an idiot would make. You got overconfident and lost that bet, didn't you? My mind is a bit fuzzy as I'm sure hers is too. Why don't you tell us? Oh, I forgot you can't right now can you. Maybe my friend here can tell us." He snapped his figure, and the hooded figure walked up next to them. He pulled the hood down to reveal it had been Ren the whole time.

"He threw her away the first chance he got." Ren said.

"Who could be more beautiful than poor Weiss here that you would throw her away." Jaune said. Ren pointed up at Velvet. "Velvet? But, isn't that. Oh, I get it now! You didn't care about Weiss or Velvet. All you cared about was hurting poor Ruby. So, you took Weiss from her knowing it would upset her. You saw she became happy with another girl, so you took that girl too. Man, I knew you were evil, but I never imagined you'd be that evil." Weiss's wounds started healing, and she embraced Jaune crying heavily into his chest. Ruby was no longer struggling to get free. Her eyes had gone dark. She was no longer moving. Ren walked over to her and released her. Ruby stood there with the same dark look on her face and Ren handed her Crescent Rose. Ruby slowly started walking over towards me wielding her scythe. As she got closer her hair changed to all black and became pigtails. Ruby knelt and kissed my lips. When she released from the kiss, she lifted her scythe and swung it at me.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed, as I started grabbing my hair.

"Crimson! Crimson! You need to calm down please!" A female voice yelled next to me.

I started thrashing around violently trying to get up. I made my way to the door and opened it only to get grabbed by someone on the other side. I struggled as much as I could to get out of their grip. Something poked my arm I didn't know what it was, but I needed to get away from it. The more I struggled the harder it became to move. I eventually gave in and everything went dark.

I woke up in the hospital bed with the light shining brightly into the room. I looked around to see Velvet asleep in the chair next to me holding my hand.

"Well good to know you don't always wake up screaming." Carmine said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I should be the one asking that. You had a pretty intense nightmare." He said.

"That's one way of putting it. All my friends. They were hanging from the ceiling struggling for their lives. Then Jaune came in and started killing them. I couldn't do anything because he had me pinned to the wall. It was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen." I said.

"Clearly. We had to sedate you because you were moving around so violently. Velvet and Regalia tried to calm you down, but it didn't work. You ended up smacking Velvet across the face, and tackling Regalia to the ground. You got up immediately and ran for the door. Luckily, I was just about to come in with the doctor when you opened it. I caught you before you could get any further. The doctor injected you with the sedative and you calmed right down." He said.

I looked back to Velvet and noticed the mark on her cheek. I pulled my hand back and stared at it in shock.

"She's alright man. Just a bruise. Once you were safely back in bed Regalia checked her out. If you're not dating you might want to consider it. After that she refused to leave your side. Take it from me, a girl who's willing to stand by you through something like that is worth keeping." He said. Velvet started to wake up as he started walking towards the door. "Alright kids I'm going to get the clothes Cerise left for Crimson. After that, we'll need to start heading out." Before I could say anything, he shut the door.

Velvet wrapped her arms around me after he left. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I-I'm sorry." I said as tears started falling from my eyes.

"Crimson, it's fine. I'm a huntress, pain comes with the job. I'm just glad I didn't lose you." She said.

"How can you be so alright with that. How can you still care about me so much? All the terrible things I've done. You, Cardin, Weiss, and... oh gods, Ruby. How could anyone forgive me after all..." Velvet cut me off by kissing me.

"You need to calm down. Please listen to me. Remember what you told me yesterday. You didn't want to live in the past. You're not the only one haunted by their past, and we're all working through things. You are not a bad person. You have nothing, but the best intentions with all your actions. Last night you were in a panicked state I'm not upset about what happened. I'm just glad we didn't lose you." She said.

I looked into her eyes and started calming down again. I took a deep breath and nodded to her. "Thanks."

Carmine entered the room again holding a bag with some clothes in is. "Here you go man hurry up and get ready."

I got up and took the bag from him and headed to the bathroom. I started pulling the clothes out and noticed it wasn't what I normally wore. She gave me the red Fighting Faunus shirt I used to wear, but everything else was different. She gave me a pair of blue jeans, and a black jean jacket. The jacket had a red patch to the right of the zipper. It was in the shape of an eighth note with the circle having been replaced with a heart. I put them on and walked out.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"It looks good. And I think the symbol is perfect for you." Velvet said.

"Alright let's get going." Carmine said leading us out the door.

Outside the hospital, Celadon was standing next to a large armored SUV type vehicle.

"Huh, compensating for something Carmine?" I asked.

"Not even. Found it covered in dust during a raid. Figured it would be a shame to let such a beautiful beast go to waste like that." He said.

"Suure" I said walking towards the vehicle.

Everyone got into the vehicle with Carmine driving. The trip was quiet with Carmine and I discussing what I was looking for with a new weapon. After a couple hours of driving we arrived at Shade academy. Cerise and the remaining members of team CFVY were waiting to show us the way to Shade's office. When we walked in Shade was standing talking with a brown and pink haired girl.

"YOU!" Carmine yelled charging toward the girl. He pinned her against Shade's desk and had his SMG raised to her head.

"Carmine, back away now." Shade said raising a sword towards Carmine.

"Why the fuck is she here Shade?!" Carmine yelled.

"She's my step sister. I'm not going to tell you again back away now." Shade said.

"I'll back away after this bitch is dead. Her and Torchprick are the reason my brothers are dead. He almost got my wife killed also. Unless you can give me a damn good reason why I shouldn't shoot her, she's as good as dead." Carmine said.

"I'm aware of the things she's done in the past. You know you can't beat me. Back off and let me explain." Shade said.

After a few minutes of silence Carmine put his SMG back and stepped away from the girl. She stepped away, moving closer to Shade.

"Good. Like I said I'm aware of the things she's done in the past. I'm not happy with her either. We got separated years ago she ended up on the street struggling to survive. She ended up cornered by a bunch of jerks who tried taking advantage of her. Roman ended up being the one to save her so she worked for him in order to repay him. She owed him her life. You know as well as I do that Cinder is the real reason your brothers are gone. Neo here was just another henchman. I found her wandering around the nearby town. Roman was killed in the attack on Beacon. She doesn't want that kind of life anymore. I gave her the option to join the school to train to become a huntress instead. To make up for the things she's done in the past." Shade said.

"And how do we know she won't turn right around and betray you and kill anyone she can?" Carmine asked.

"You didn't see the look in her eyes I saw when I found her. She won't betray us." Shade said.

"You better be right about this. I won't hesitate next time if she does." Carmine said walking back towards us. "Come on guys our mission is done. We need to get back to Vale. I'll be back in a few days to bring your weapon Crimson."

"What did he mean by weapon?" Cerise asked.

"He's going to get me a new weapon. Figured it wouldn't hurt to try something new with my current situation." I said.

"Okay now that things have calmed down a bit we can get down to business. As I previously stated Neo was part of the group that helped attack Beacon among other things. I would like to place her on a team with Crimson and Cerise. However, it is up to the two of you. Before you answer I believe Neo has something she needs to say first." Shade said.

Neo slowly started walking forward, and her appearance began changing. She closed her eyes and her hair changed colors to fully black. She put her hair up in pigtails and opened her eyes to reveal they were now green.

"You were the girl I met at the Vytal Festival." I said.

She nodded. "I'm sorry about that day. I want you to know I was ordered to do it. The truth is you _were_ targeted. You were chosen to be an example during the tournament. Originally, we were going to target Penny Polendina. However, when we found out about the preexisting tension between you and Jaune Arc, we decided to play into that instead. The intended outcome was for you to be killed by him. So, I was tasked by Cinder to give you the kiss of death." Neo said.

"She did what?" Cerise and Velvet said in unison.

Neo started backing up a bit as they started approaching her. I held my arm out to signal them to stop. "Please keep explaining." I said.

"Everything went nearly as planned. Jaune thought he saw you charging at him. I'm sure at some point you saw a girl with green hair that used dual pistol sickles." She said.

"Emerald." I said.

"Yeah. Her and Mercury work directly under Cinder. Emerald's semblance lets her create illusions. Only the person she targets can see them though. So, while everyone else saw you running up to congratulate him. He saw you running to attack him. So, to defend himself he swung at you. The plan was to have him cut into your chest to cause a fatal blow. The target missed, and he caught your arm instead. We never planned a pursuit thinking it wouldn't matter. During the attack on Beacon I got launched off the airship I was fighting Ruby on when she activated my umbrella. I watched as a griffon landed on the ship and ate Roman in one bite. I was picked up by another airship containing some White Fang members. After we landed, I ran. I stayed in hiding until I got to Vacuo. I knew we didn't have any operations set up there, so I knew it would be my best chance to hide out. Fortunately for me my brother had a better memory than I gave him credit. When he found me, I broke down, and told him everything. I know you have no reason to believe or forgive me. I ask that you at least give me a chance to redeem myself." She said.

"If you want my opinion, it sounds like a bad idea to let her get that close to you with what she just admitted" Coco said.

"Change back to your real form please." I said.

Neo's appearance changed back to her brown and pink hair with eyes to match. I walked up to her and looked her in the eyes.

"Welcome to the team." I said extending my hand out.

"Are you serious?!" Cerise yelled out before pulling me away from her. "She just told you she marked you for death, and now you're letting her join us?"

I placed my hand on Cerise's shoulder. "All she wants is a chance to redeem herself. She knows she made some mistakes and wants to make up for them. You know what it's like to be labeled unfairly." I said.

"You're forgetting the big difference here. Mine was for an accident! She purposely did all those things." She said.

"Not to mention we don't know how much of what she's saying is true." Coco said.

"They both do have a point Crimson." Velvet said.

"Exactly for all we know she could still be working with them, if what she said is true that they didn't have a base set up in Vacuo then maybe she was sent here to start one. Mercury and Emerald were able to get in to Beacon without suspicion. This could just be her little sob story to earn our trust, so she can destroy us from the inside when the time comes." Cerise said.

"Or she could be telling us the complete truth." I said.

"This has to do with Weiss doesn't it. You know, more than likely you won't get her back so you're going to trade her..." I cut Cerise off.

"That's enough!" I yelled. Everyone went quiet, and the three girls took a couple steps back. I walked over to Neo again before looking back at them. "You're wrong, this has nothing to do with Weiss in the slightest. So, don't ever think that way again! I can't believe after all this time you haven't learned to trust me. I know I've made some stupid decisions in my life. I've caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. There are two things you need to realize about this situation. First, if our headmaster, who might I remind you all, is the only reason the six of us are here, trusts her, and believes her. Then I see no other reason not to. Unless you want to start questioning whether we can trust him or not? Second, if what she says is the full truth which I believe. Then I'm more involved, and at a greater risk than any of you. Knowing that I still believe her. There is something bad happening in the world, and if we want to be able to do anything about it, we need as much help as we can get. If she's willing to help us, then we need to take it. I'll personally take responsibility over her." I said.

Coco started walking up to me. "Leader to leader. I understand where you're coming from and agree with your reasoning. However, I don't understand what you see that makes you believe she can be trusted after what her, and the rest of the people she was with did to you and Beacon."

"Look her in the eyes. Of everyone here, you should be able to see it." I said.

Coco tilted her sunglasses down and looked Neo in the eyes. A few seconds later she pushed them back up.

"You saw it didn't you?" I asked.

"There is no evil left in her. The bond she had with Torchwick. Watching him... She's broken. It's the same look I saw in you and Vel." She said turning her attention back to Neo. "Answer one question for me. Did you do any of those things because you wanted to, or did you do them because he wanted you to?"

"I owed him my life. I did whatever he asked whether I agreed with it or not." Neo said.

"Alright I believe you. Anyone gives you trouble just let me or Crimson know." Coco said shaking her hand.

"Well it seems like your guy's leader approves. How about the rest of you?" Shade said walking towards us.

"I've never doubted Coco's judgment before." Fox said.

"I don't trust her yet, but if Coco believes her then I'll give her a chance." Yatsuhashi said.

Cerise and Velvet looked at each other. "I think you're making a mistake, but I'll trust your judgment." Velvet said.

I walked back to Cerise. "I know things haven't been going well since the tournament. With me being injured, Skyler leaving, and Xana... We need to move forward. You made it clear that you're worried about me, and don't want anything else to happen to our team. I know I've made some stupid mistakes, but I need you to trust me on this." I said.

Cerise walked up to Neo. "You get one chance. Don't make me regret it."

"Alright I guess everything is settled then. Neo, Cerise and the others will show you to your room, and help you get situated. Crimson, I'd like to have a word with you alone first." Shade said. After everyone had left, he directed me to a chair across from his. "I'm not going to dance around the subject. Are you fit for combat? Before the attack Ozpin managed to transfer the files on your team to me. I've noticed you've been in the hospital multiple times for mental and heart problems. On top of that, Carmine informed me there was an episode last night. I've seen your skills, and I know you have what it takes. What I don't know is if you are mentally capable, or if your heart will be able to take the extra stress on it."

"It hasn't been an easy journey sir, but this is what I've wanted for so long. I can't afford to give up now. After the attack on Beacon, and everything Neo told us. We need to be ready for anything. I'm sure you know as well as I do that a war is coming. There is no guarantee any of us will survive no matter how prepared we become. If I have my choice, I'd rather go down fighting than sit on the sidelines not being able to do anything." I said.

"I'm not saying you're wrong. As a former huntsman myself I know full well what you're thinking. Something is definitely going on, and with the loss of the CCT I'm in the dark more than anyone. Great timing to take over as headmaster. However there comes a time when you need to think about if it's worth continuing with this profession. Technically, this will be you're second year as a huntsman in training. I'm not telling you to give up on your dream. However, I am telling you to think over if you're mentally, and physically able to continue. I'm going to give you a choice. I'll allow you to continue to be the leader of your team, and train to become a huntsman. Your other choice is I'll add a fifth member to your team. You'll work with the four of them as far as training and learning within the classrooms. However, you will not be allowed to take on missions. I can already tell what your answer is going to be, so I want you to think it over first. Classes won't be starting for another two months so I don't want an answer until then. Remember that slowing down doesn't mean that you'll give up that life forever. Qrow, Oobleck, Port and I certainly didn't. You've went through a lot of mental and physical hardships. I'm surprised you made it this far. Whether you become a huntsman or step away into another role. I'm sure you'll be a success in whatever you put your mind to." He said.

"I get what you're saying. This has been my dream for years. To give it up now would feel like a big 'fuck you' to everyone who helped me out along the way. I've always come back stronger after an event like this, I'll think it over but don't expect me to quit so easily." I said.

He nodded and pulled out his scroll. "There is something else you should know. When I informed Neo that I'd be placing her on your team she showed me this." He slid his scroll over to me. The picture showed Jaune shaking hands with a woman with black hair, and a red dress. "I'm not sure if you ever met her, but that's Cinder in the picture. The one who's behind the attack on Beacon."

 **AN: And another one down. Gotta give a shout out to my man Nightmare 6-4 for helping me out with the nightmare scene. Check out his stuff along with my other main man TheBurningRuler. Don't forget to check out my other story as well Kitty-Kat.**


	20. Chapter 20

"I know Jaune wasn't always the smartest guy, but why would he side with her?" I asked.

"No clue. If you want more info, you'll probably have to talk to Neo. Anyway, I should probably show you to your room." Shade said getting up from his desk.

We headed out of his office and started heading towards the dorms. We passed by multiple students along the way.

"The way you made it sound I didn't think there would be as many students here." I said.

"I was a little surprised at first too. After the fall of Beacon, the previous headmaster, and I decided it would be a good idea to let the students return home for a while to think some things over. Surprisingly many of them returned shortly after. The training room has been busy ever since. They were so busy I had the auditorium modified to allow the students to train there as well." He said.

When we got to my dorm the door was already open. Neo was standing outside the doorway.

"Why are you standing out here? Did Cerise say something?" I asked. Neo pointed into the room.

I looked to see a rabbit faunus with shoulder length white hair. She was wearing a brown jacket with a white shirt underneath and black jeans. She also had a blue backpack on that had a small mechanical arm coming out of it holding a small magnifying glass to her eye. She was looking at one of my guns.

"Um Shade. Who is that, and why is she not only in our room but messing with my gun as well." I asked.

Shade gave a small sigh. "That would be your other new teammate Lillian. She's more of a tech genius than a fighter. She's probably looking for a way to improve your weapons." He said. He stepped forward into the room with Neo and I following. "Lillian these are your other two teammates."

She looked away from the gun, and towards us. She looks me over in particular.

"Well at least the shitty condition of the weapon matches the condition of its owner." She said.

"Nice to meet you too." I said.

"Seriously when was the last time you did maintenance on these? It's amazing they still work properly. The sights are off. There's chips and dents all overt them. The blades are dull as fuck. How the hell they can cut though anything is amazing..." She continued listing off multiple things wrong with my weapons

"She's just a ball of sunshine isn't she" Neo asked.

"In other words, she'll either fit in really well with Cerise, or they will be at each other's throats all the time." I said.

"...It's amazing you're still alive with the condition these things are in. Although by looking at you I can tell... Wait. Aren't you the red monkey that made it to the semi-finals of the Vytal Festival?" She asked.

"Yeah I am, and those guns you've been bashing got me there." I said.

"The surprise is how far you made it. Maybe if you had taken care of your weapons, you'd have beat that blond jackass." She said tossing my gun on the desk next to its twin.

"There were other..." Neo started to say before I stopped her.

"You're probably right. I always meant to have Ruby help me repair them, but I didn't get a lot of time. I'd be really appreciative if you'd be willing to help with that." I said.

"Well since were teammates now I can't have these things break on me during a mission. You owe me though." She said. She turned to Neo. "How about you? I already agreed to touch up Cerise's weapon I can look at yours too."

"Well it probably wouldn't hurt I guess." Neo said handing the girl her umbrella.

"Hmm. Luckily the way it's made it doesn't require as much upkeep. I'm a little surprised it's a pure melee weapon. Most people like tend to have some sort of fire arm included. Pistol, sniper, a lot even use some form of explosives." She said. Neo's expression had changed from confusion to sadness. "Little polish, sharpen the blade a bit and it'll be good to go. I'm gonna head into town to pick up a few supplies. Oh, and by the way just call me Lilly." She said as she was walking out of the room.

By now Shade had already left the room leaving Neo and I by ourselves. I noticed that Cerise had her stuff set up already next to Lilly's.

"Those two must have hit it off pretty well if she willingly set up next to her. When I first paired up with her the thought of sleeping next to Skyler bothered her so much she demanded where everyone was sleeping." I said with a small laugh. I looked over at Neo who had already begun unpacking. She had chosen the bed closest to the wall. She stopped after pulling out a black hat with a red stripe on it. I walked over, and put my hand on her shoulder.

"He really meant a lot to you huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for her, he would be." She said.

"I'm sorry if this upsets you, but can tell me about what happened between the two of you? I hardly know about him at all. All I know is the things Weiss and her team told me. Which was mostly him trying to kill them. If you were willing to stay with him despite all the things he's done. There must have been a different side we haven't seen." I said.

"Not much to say really. Shade and I were separated after he killed our parents." She started to say.

"He did what?" I yelled.

"Yeah that's a story for another time. Anyway, after we were separated, I wandered around just trying to survive. I knew it was wrong, but I did a lot of evil things. A few years later I ended up in a city in Vale. I got mixed up with a rough group. We were planning a small heist. I didn't want to be a part of it, but they promised me a good cut. I needed the money, so I went along with it. It went south because of me. I didn't have a lot of experience in fighting and had only just recently unlocked my semblance, so I was still inexperienced with it. They started beating me. One of them made the suggestion to have me make up for it in another way. Before they got the chance, Roman found us. Turned out he was hiding from the cops after pulling his own job. Once he heard what they were going to do he stepped in. He took on everyone in the group. They had done a number on him, but he managed to beat them. He took me away to where he hid out. It wasn't anything special. In fact, it was an old house that had been abandoned for years. He patched me up and offered to let me lay low there for a while.

I was in a really bad place and had to fend for myself. I couldn't understand why he was willing to put his life in danger for a girl he'd never even met before. When I asked him, he told me that his ex was in a similar situation a year ago. Except no one was there to stop it, and she ended up dying. He told me he may be a criminal, but that's never something he'd be okay with. So, when he heard those guys say that he got pissed, and jumped in. It had nothing to do with me. I sat there thinking I was right. No one cared about me not even him I just got lucky. I made up my mind that I needed to keep moving, and decided I'd be leaving in the morning. I tried sneaking out the next day, but he caught me. He asked where I was going and stopped me from leaving. I told him that I needed to keep moving. He asked where I was going how I was going to get there how I was going to protect myself among other questions. All of which I had no answer to. He offered to train me and give me pointers, so I wouldn't be caught in a situation like that again.

A few months later I ended up in a similar situation again. This time I fought them back on my own and won. I knew he didn't help me because there was anything special about me, but after having been in a nearly identical situation again. It slowly crept into my head that if it wasn't for him there was a good chance, I wouldn't be alive. A couple days later I was going to get some supplies to head to the next town. I heard gunfire and sirens. I ran to see him being chased by the police again. I followed him until he ran down an ally. I made an illusion for the cops to continue following and hid him. I owed him my life, so I saved him. You'd think that would have made us even, but in my mind, I still hadn't even come close to repaying him. I wasn't sure what had come over me. I felt like I needed to stay by him. I knew he was a criminal, but I was able to ignore it. I had feelings for him. This guy with a criminal record that showed no emotion for me what so ever, and just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I devoted my life to him. I knew he was never going to return my affection, and I knew full well what we were doing was incredibly wrong. I didn't care though. I owed him everything. Just being with him and helping him made me happy.

Things were going great until Cinder got involved. She started making all these plans, and Roman was going along with it cause he knew he'd get a big payday. They got more elaborate, and dangerous I was starting to worry. Roman assured me it was fine, so I didn't question it. I did everything she and Roman told me to. Regardless of how I felt about it. She told us she planned an attack on Beacon, but even Roman didn't expect what was going to happen. He was ecstatic when I let him out of his cell and saw everything going on. When I saw all the grimm both in the sky, and on the ground, I got worried. I kept myself calm though cause I figured as long as I was with Roman nothing would go wrong. So, when Ruby got up to the airship, we were on I figured it wouldn't be an issue. The two of us had her on the ropes. I had my blade ready to finish her like he would want. She reached up and hit the button to my umbrella. The wind caught it, and I flew off. By the time I was able to gain some control I looked back to see a grimm swallow him whole.

I floated down to a deserted area in shock the whole time. I tried holding back from drying, but it was no use. Eventually Emerald and Mercury found me and took me to a warehouse just outside the city where we had been hiding out. That's when I saw Jaune there. When Cinder finally returned, she was badly injured. Emerald had lied to Jaune to get them on their side. I took the pic of them shaking hands. Like I already told you after that I ran and came to Vacuo. I wandered for weeks until Shade stopped me. I wanted to fight him for killing our parents, but I was too weak. He took me here and explained what had really happened. I told him everything that had happened. He wasn't happy, but he was glad I got out of there. Next thing I know I was told I was possibly going to be out on your team. I explained what happened between us, and he told me I should be lucky if you accepted me." She said. Tears had started forming in her eyes, but it was clear she was trying to fight them back.

"Wow. I'm not sure what to say. It certainly explains a lot, but still adds a lot of questions." I said.

"I don't doubt that, but now I have a question for you. Why did you accept me?" She asked.

"Well to be blunt the world is going to shit, and after what happened at Beacon, I'm willing to accept any help we can get. Not only that, but it's like Coco said. I can see the truth in your words. Everything you've told us isn't made up to gain our trust. The way you're holding that hat just adds to it. You lost the person you cared about most and are broken because of it. I can't say I know exactly what you're going though cause Weiss as far as I'm aware is still alive. Just being away from her, and not knowing if I'll ever see her again makes me feel like a huge part of me is missing." I said.

"That doesn't make any sense though. All the bad things I've done to you, and your friends among others. How can you just accept me? I'm a master at illusions. For all you know this whole thing could be just one big illusion to gain your trust, so I can stab you in the back later." She said. Tears were finally flowing down her cheeks.

I took the hat from her and put it on my head and turned to start walking away. I hadn't even taken one step before she was in front of me with her blade to my neck. She was about to say something before I stopped her. I smiled and placed the hat on her head. "That's how I know I can trust you. If you were faking this, I'd have gotten further away."

"What do you mean?" She asked while lowering her blade.

"I'd have done the same if someone had taken something of mine that reminded me of Weiss. I understand you've done bad things in the past. We all have things that happen to us that shape us to who we are. I mean look at me. You've done research on me. Should I really be alive and this emotionally strong with all I've gone through? Fuck no. I should be a wreck or dead. It's all in how we handle it. Hell, I was dumb enough to wager my relationship with the girl I loved more than anything on a bet. People always do crazy things when they're in love. Then when that love falls apart it tears them up." I said.

"Then why aren't you a mess right now! You just found out yesterday that you might not ever see her again, and that two of your friends are dead. How are you able to handle it?" She asked.

"To be honest I'm not really sure. After waking up and hearing everything. Losing an arm. Losing two of my friends. One of whom was my teammate. Regardless of the situation I would still have been forced away from Weiss. It's still a lot to take in, but that's the thing. I can't just give up either. If I do, then that bitch Cinder wins. This is all happening because of her. She's hurt Me, Cerise, Skyler, countless others and you. So, we can either sit by, and mourn the dead until we die too. Or we can fight like we were trained to do and stop her from taking anyone else we care about." I said.

"He's right you know." Cerise said entering the room. "Don't get me wrong you're still pretty low on the list of people I trust. My emotions have been all over since the attack. Hell, I blame myself for a lot of things that happened that I know damn well I'm not responsible for. He's right though. Between what you've told us, and what we've experienced. Something big is going to happen, and your old pal Cinder is behind a lot of it. We'll need all the help we can get. Crimson may make a lot of mistakes, but If he trusts you, I'm willing to give you a chance."

"I still don't understand how you can just forgive me so easily but thank you." Neo said. She walked back to her bed to finish unpacking. I stepped out of the room with Cerise.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked.

"About the time she mentioned Cinder joining them. Something in me is still bothering me. Telling me not to trust her. At the same time, I could see what you've been trying to tell us. I've tried so long to lock my emotions away cause I thought they would just cause me more pain. If she's trying to hide anything right now, she's doing a shitty job at it." She said.

"I'm pretty sure she isn't hiding anything. She truly wants to make up for her past. It's going to be a rough transition for a lot of us. I'm not saying you need to drop your guard around her cause I'm not either. We need to at least try getting along though. It's not going to get easier for any of us if we don't. Besides you always got on the rest of us for shitty teamwork. Now it's my turn, and since for now I'm your leader again. I can officially tell you what to do again so ha." I said.

"Damn it. Wait. For now?" She asked.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have caught that. I'll explain when we get everyone together. That includes Neo and Lilly." I said.

"Oh, so you did meet our little tech wiz. I think she'll fit in pretty well." She said.

"So that confirms you two hit it off. I was a little worried after my first encounter with her." I said.

"How did you already piss her off?" She asked.

"My weapons are in poor condition. Didn't have a lot of time to work on them back at Beacon." I said.

"That's cause you were too busy hitting on every girl in sight." She said. I had a flashback to my dream from last night.

" **Oh, you didn't know? She, like every other girl here, was head over heels for you." Jaune said.**

I stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. My body started to shake a bit.

"Crimson!" Cerise yelled kneeling down next to me.

"What happened?" Neo asked.

"I'm not sure. I made a joke, and he suddenly dropped." Cerise said.

"It's fine. I'm fine." I said.

"Does this have to do with the meeting later?" Cerise asked.

"What meeting?" Neo asked.

"Yes, and when Lilly gets back the four of us are going to team CVFY's dorm. For now, I think I'm gonna take a walk around the campus. Try to clear my head a bit." I said.

"Are you sure you should go alone?" Neo asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." I said standing back up.

"And this is a perfect example of him making a bad decision. You need to take someone with you." Cerise said.

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?" I asked.

"No." They both said.

"Alright then which one is volunteering? One of you should stay behind and wait for Lilly to get back." I said.

The two girls looked at each other. "I'll stay. Lilly and I had more of a chance to get to know each other yesterday, and she already met team CFVY. So, it would probably be best for me to stay behind." Cerise said.

"You are actually letting me be alone with Neo?" I asked.

"Like I said I'm giving her a chance. If you want us to get along, I can't just push her aside." Cerise said.

"Aww you do have a heart." I said.

"You do realize one of these days you're going to get seriously hurt because of your mouth, right?" Cerise said.

"Yes." I said pointing to my missing arm.

"Was that really appropriate?" Cerise asked.

"No, but it was accurate." I said.

"Oh, before I forget." Cerise said before walking back in the room. She came back out holding a scroll, and one of my weapons. "I held on to this for you. Come to find out I was wrong and only communications across kingdoms are down. If you're around the school, or even in town it should work fine. I put a map of the school on it for you. I know nothing will happen, but it never hurts to be prepared. Plus, I seem to remember Weiss saying something about you being forgetful when it comes to things like this."

"Thanks. Alright then let me know when she gets back." I said before Neo and I left.

The campus felt more condensed than Beacon. Having taken less time to travel around. Shade wasn't kidding about the training room being crowded. When Neo and I entered many of the student's slowly started stopping what they were doing. A dull roar of quiet comments and questions to teammates began the more people that stopped fighting.

"Want another example of me making bad decisions?" I whispered to Neo. Before she could answer I pulled out my weapon and switched it to its sword mode. I took a few steps forward. "So. Who wants some!?"

One of them walked towards me. He was dark skinned and bald. He wore a green and white tank top with black pants. He held a large axe over his shoulder.

"You're the kid that got his arm cut off in the Vytal Tournament aren't you" He said.

"That would be me. Crimson Vayr." I said using my tail to lift my empty sleeve. He didn't seem impressed by my joke.

"What happened at Beacon?" He said.

"It's a long story. Even I'm not sure what all happened. I've been getting details bit by bit. As far as Jaune and I we'd essentially been fighting since I started. I took down a bully that was picking on him, and he always kept thinking that I did it out of pity for him. No matter how many times all of us said it wasn't true. That was supposed to be the deciding fight between us to see who was better. He pulled out a new trick I hadn't seen before and I lost. Then afterward I'm not sure what happened. I went to congratulate him, and something in him snapped. Next thing I knew I woke up in Vacuo with only one of my teammates." I said.

"What happened to your team?" He asked.

"Cerise came here with me. Skyler went off with her girlfriend... Xana died during the attack." I said.

"You had one teammate die, and the other thought her girlfriend was more important than her teammate in the hospital? That's pretty fucked up." He said.

"Maybe, but I'm glad she did. Our team wasn't the only one to suffer a casualty. I'm sure you heard that Pyrrha Nikos died in the attack also. Skyler's girlfriend was on the same team as her. Not only that but Jaune was on the same team, and as I'm sure you saw he was arrested after our fight. I may have been injured, but Nora and Ren lost two teammates that day. If I'd been conscious at the time, I'd have told her to go anyway. Gotta keep moving forward right?" I said.

He started laughing. "Damn man all that, and who knows what else happened at Beacon. You're still able to enter a room full of strangers, and not only make a stupid challenge. You can also throw jokes around like nothing is going on. That takes heart kid. Good to meet you. Names Andrew Mills, I'm the leader of team MARK (mark... It sounds lame, but it worked.)" He said extending his right hand. I smiled, and lifted my empty sleeve to him again, and he shook it. The other students started going back to sparing with each other while his team walked over. They consisted of two guys and one girl.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Asada." The girl said. She had black hair and wore a green jacket with a white shirt underneath, and green pants. She also had glasses and a white scarf. Her weapon was a sniper rifle.

"Sup man. Names Ryoutarou, but I'd prefer you just call me Ryou." One of the guys said with a somewhat salute. His attention soon shifted to Neo and walked over to her. He had brown spiked hair with a bandana on his forehead. He wore black armor with a red long sleeve shirt underneath and white pants. His weapon was a katana that looked like it was dust compatible like my swords.

"Don't worry he does that to every girl he sees. It usually ends up the same way each time. I'm Kazuto." He had black hair as well. He wore a black coat and black pants. He had two swords on his back, but he also had a pistol on his hip.

Ryou had walked back to his team with Neo following until she was next to me. He looked defeated.

"She rejected you too huh?" Andrew asked. Ryou nodded his head.

"You could have at least let him down easy" I whispered.

"I did." Neo whispered back.

"Like Kazuto said this happens all the time. No matter how well the girl rejects him he does the same thing." Asada said.

Kazuto put his hand on Ryou's back. "You'll find someone eventually man."

"Let us know if you need something. This is our third year here, so we should be able to help you guys with just about anything." Andrew said.

"By the way. Just a heads up if I were you, I'd stay away from Scarlet." Ryou said pointing to a girl fighting with dual machetes. "She's pretty infamous for hating faunus."

"It's amazing her team works so well together since her partner is a spider faunus." Asada said.

"Noted. Anyway Neo, and I are gonna keep exploring the campus. It was nice meeting you guys." I said.

Neo and I left the training hall and continued to walk around.

"You left out a lot of details in that explanation." She said.

"They don't need to know. Maybe someday, but it's too early right now." I said.

"I've been meaning to ask. What happened outside the room with Cerise, and what is the meeting about?" She asked.

"I knew that was coming. Let me start by asking this. How much do you know about me?" I asked.

"Not a lot really. Emerald ended up seeing your two on two matches with team JNPR before the breach. We kept tabs on both of your teams, but at first, we didn't think either team would make as big an impact when we went through with the attack. Then you had your match with team CFVY. We started watching your team a little closer, but mostly because of the buzz your teams created. We had decided on Penny as our main target and using Mercury as a sacrifice. We thought team JNPR would have moved Pyrrha up, so we planned to rig the matches, so she would fight Penny. Emerald was to use her semblance which would have caused Pyrrha to panic and use hers. ripping Penny apart. So, when they chose Jaune we had to change our plans. Emerald mentioned the feud the two of you had going so we used that instead. So really, I only know a little from your fight with CFVY and onward. Anything before that I have no clue. Cinder didn't think it was necessary to share to much with me." Neo said.

"Alright. Let's head to the library and I'll fill you in." I said.

With most of the students training it left the library fairly empty save for a few extra students. Finding a secluded spot wasn't very hard. I explained the ursa attack that gave me the scar, and then everything that happened since I got to Signal.

"... Then last night before coming here. I had a horrible nightmare where Jaune had everyone I cared about hanging from the ceiling and torturing them with me unable to do anything. He made a comment about how all the girls were head over heels for me. I don't remember waking up from it, but apparently, I went crazy. I hit Velvet and knocked Regalia to the ground. Apparently, it was bad enough they had to sedate me. So, when Cerise made a joke about me hitting on every girl in sight. I heard him and saw the horrifying image." I said.

"Gods. I feel even worse for being part of that plan now. So, then what's the meeting supposed to be about then?" She asked.

I was about to answer when Cerise had messaged me telling me that Lilly had come back.

"Once we get to team CFVY's dorm you'll find out. Cerise just told me Lilly is back." I said.

We left the library and met up with Cerise and Lilly. We followed them to team CFVY's room. Coco answered the door and let us in.

"So, what's up guys? Miss us already?" Coco asked.

"Actually, I've got something important to talk about." I said. I looked over to Velvet. "Do they know about last night?" She shook her head.

"I didn't think you'd want it getting around, so I didn't say anything." She said.

"Wait you two didn't... Did you two fuck last night?" Coco said.

I sighed. "Yeah I should have seen that coming. Really need to work on my wording. No that's not what happened. Last night I had a nightmare where Jaune had some of the people I care about most, and Cardin, hanging and torturing them. It was bad enough they had to sedate me. I ended up hitting Velvet and tacking Regalia just to try getting out of the room. I don't remember it, but that's what Carmine told me happened. He also informed Shade that it happened. That's why he had you all leave his office. He laid out that he knows about all my physical and mental problems. He didn't tell me that I had to give it up, but he suggested it might not be a bad idea. He gave me two options, and I have until classes start to decide what I want to do. Option one, which is what I'd like to do, is to continue being the leader of my new team to try to become a huntsman. The other is essentially me stepping to the side. Another member will be added to the team, and I'll be allowed to continue alongside the four of them. Meaning I'll still be able to go to classes, and do minor training like in Goodwitch's class. Anything beyond that however such as missions I'll be forbidden from doing. I can imagine that will also mean restricted use of the training hall. Like I said I'd rather continue what I'm doing now. I want to push though this and overcome it just like I did with my ursa issues. However, it's obvious that this is a completely different situation. That it might not be something I can overcome. I'll be honest yesterday I was fired up, and ready to get back out there, but I've realized my condition is worse than I thought. So, I'd like to know what your opinions are. Especially from my teammates since this will affect them the most." I said.

"I'll go ahead and give my opinion first." Lilly said stepping forward. "Seeing as how other than maybe the ice cream girl I know all of you the least. I saw your matches in the tournament. You do have some skills. Clearly you aren't very bright, and you don't know how to take care of your weapons. However, in the end you're the leader of this team. You have to make the decision if it's smarter to stand down and retreat or continue the fight."

"Wow that was a lot more thoughtful than I expected from you." I said.

"Given your condition the right thing to do probably would be to stand aside and learn as much as you can. You've come a long way, and I can see you becoming a great teacher." Yatsuhashi said.

"Him a teacher?" I can't see that. Maybe a guidance counselor or something. Yatsu does have a point though. With your condition it might be hard for you to keep going for much longer. I know you want to keep going, but it may be better to slow down now before you get forced to stop. You're not a bad singer maybe you can take over Shade's band or something." Coco said.

"I shouldn't need to reexplain myself. I think in time you might be able to go, but I'm not sure how far you'll be able to go with having one arm. You're going to be incredibly limited." Cerise said.

"Four out of seven already. I can already guess Velvet's gonna tell me to back off too. Making that five. Fox? Neo? How about you two?" I asked.

"Well considering you already said you'd take responsibility for Neo you need to be able to fight and continue improving. No matter what your choice is you can count on me to help you stay in fighting shape." Fox said.

"And we have the neutral party. Well Neo? What do you think?" I asked.

"I'm with Fox. You gave me a chance I didn't deserve. No matter what choice you make I'll work to support you." Neo said.

"Damn it. He got another one to fall for him." Cerise said.

"I-I did not! The only reason any of you are even willing to give me a chance is because of him. So, I kinda owe him. T-that's it." Neo said.

"Subtle. I'm totally convinced." Fox said.

"You know what they say scars appeal to women. Now he's got two, so his attractiveness doubled." Coco said.

"Not you too." I said.

"Ha don't get to big a head Freshman. Your body wouldn't be able to support it. Although I can imagine she's not the only heart in this room you've captured." Coco said with a huge grin on her face. Both Velvet and Cerise's faces turned pink.

The rest of the night was spent having fun and making jokes at everyone's expense. This was the night we all needed. We knew by becoming huntsman and huntresses that the world would rely on us. We never expected it would be to this degree. None of us know what the future is going to hold for us. The more we can have moments like this. It won't seem as bad. I can only imagine how much the rest of them needed this night. The past three months they've had to endure a lot of hard times. It's been an emotional drain on all of us. It's made me think a lot. There is a good possibility I won't be able to keep fighting much longer. Maybe I should back off and think about something to fall back on. If I do that maybe I can try meeting my parents. Dad's going to be harder to meet. Especially if Cerise is right about Weiss' fuckstick of a father really does have precautions set in place if I would make it to Atlas. Mom shouldn't be that hard to find, and I'd be able to get a lot more questions answered. Menagerie is supposed to be a paradise for Faunus. It would be nice to go somewhere and know I wouldn't be discriminated against. I don't know what the future holds for me or anyone else. If I have can have my way. I don't care if I step back or not. Either way I'm gonna put my heart into everything I have.

 **AN: 20 chapters It's been a lot of fun. Be sure to leave a review letting me know what you think about the story thus far. As always be sure to check out my other Story Kitty-kat. Then head over to The Burning Ruler's page to check out Team BAWM being co-written by me Ruler and Nightmare 6-4.**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Here we go again with another chapter of RWBY: Red Ice. Remember to check out my other story RWBY: Kitty-Kat. Also remember to follow and favorite and leave me a review. Something new I'm going to start is giving people to a chance for a shout out at the beginning of each chapter! So remember to leave a review for a chance for that. Also make sure to check out TheBurningRuler and Nightmare 6-4 and our collaborated story Team BAWM.**

The next couple months had come and gone faster than we expected. With no classes we spent a lot of time relaxing. Well all except for me. I had to get back into fighting shape. Carmine had brought back the custom weapon I had ordered. A sniper rifle with built in dust chambers. I had it modified with dual chambers to mix dust to get similar effects to the ammo Weiss gave me before the final round of the tournament. In addition to that the barrel can be changed into an estoc that also gains the effects of the dust. It had a strap that allowed me to carry it on my back when I use the sword. Lilly modified my SMG's to clip on to my body as well, and I started carrying Xana's Kunai on my right leg. I got permission from Shade to be allowed to keep my SMG's and Kunai on me at all times. However, since it wasn't as easy to conceal, I had to keep my sniper in my locker. Lilly mentioned something about working on a secret project for me, but she wouldn't say anything else.

Shade gave us permission to hold a funeral for Xana and Pyrrha. We originally planned for it to be between our team and CFVY. Somehow word got out and a lot of the students came to give their respects to our fallen friends. Team MARK became close friends with our group.

Yatsuhashi, Kazuto, Fox and Neo spent a lot of time helping me getting back in shape. It took me back to the incident in Emerald Forest. How afterward everyone took the time to help me recover. It took a while to get used to fighting with one arm. Neo and Asada were especially helpful when it came to training with my new weapon. It felt like I was slowly making progress, but I had this staggering feeling something was still missing. All my friends lent a helping hand, and I was fully armed. I couldn't put my finger on what I was having trouble with.

Classes were to start next week, and I still hadn't made up my mind whether to continue with my team or step aside. Shade had told me that if I decided to step aside, he'd let me select the replacement for our team from the other students who had their teams broken up. All the students who were coming back after the attack had arrived. Andrew and Kazuto informed us that it looked like a lot more teams broke up than he thought would.

I woke up having hardly slept the previous night. I was trying to come up with a definite answer to give Shade. I got up decided to get ready for the day and get some breakfast. I walked into the cafeteria to see Coco sitting alone.

"Since when are you up this early?" She asked.

"Hard time sleeping." I said.

"I've guessing you still haven't made up you're mind?" She asked.

"Nope." I said.

"What do you think Weiss would say?" She asked.

"That's easy, she'd tell me to step aside." I said. '

"Would you do it if she was here to tell you that?" She asked.

I gave a small chuckle. "Knowing her it wouldn't have been a choice. 'You're stepping aside and that's final.' No amount of arguing would have changed her mind." I said.

"Would you have tried to argue it?" She asked.

"For all of about five minutes if I even got that much." I said.

"Then you should already have your answer." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When you first told us about your choices you had five of us telling you to stand down, and your still unsure. If Weiss were here, you'd have only needed one of us to decide. You've made better progress recovering than a lot of us anticipated. Even still your questioning yourself." She said.

"You know somehow after all this time I never actually asked myself what Weiss would think." I said. I got up from the table and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To talk to Shade." I said.

I made my way to his office and knocked on his door. He opened it and invited me in. His desk was filled with paperwork with stacks on each side of it as well.

"I'm not interrupting you, am I?" I asked.

"Not at all. In fact, I could use the distraction right now. Without Oz to help me out I have to figure a lot of this stuff out on my own. Between setting up all the new students and reestablishing the returning students. It's been a hell of a process." He said.

"What about the previous headmaster? Shouldn't he be able to help you?" I asked.

"You'd think so, but I haven't seen him in weeks. At least the other teachers have been a good help, but even with their help its still an exhausting task. Regardless have you come up with a decision?" He asked.

"Yeah I have. I've decided I'm not ready to give up yet. There are things I have to take care of that I need to be stronger in order to accomplish. Once that's over then I'll stand down until then I can't stop." I said.

"I understand. I know I gave it as an option however things have changed, and I'm afraid I'll have to add another member to your team anyway. Don't worry you'll remain the leader and you won't have the restrictions from our original deal. Due to the number of students that either transferred or didn't come back at all I have to rearrange some of the students. As of now I can't say whether this will be a permanent addition or not. I'll still let you choose the new addition… If I can find where I put the dossiers." He said.

"Wait I'm pretty sure a student isn't allowed to look at other students' files." I said.

"Technically yes, but I can still give you the basic information." He said still looking for through the pile on his desk. "Oh, found them!" He cleared off a spot on his desk and laid down a stack of five folders. He took a picture and sheet from each one and placed them in front of me. "The four members you don't choose are going to be put on a team together."

The first one I looked at was a girl named Haily Crane. She is a human that uses a shield and sword. Next was Mari Hiroka, a cat faunus that uses a chain sword. Next was Tarro Krios, a monkey faunus that uses a dust infused chainsaw. Next is a Hunter Valon, A human that uses twin gauntlet blades. And finally was Reese Chloris. The name sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure how.

"Hey, this last one Reese Chloris. Is she a transfer or something I feel like I know the name from somewhere?" I asked.

"Actually, she is a transfer. She was part of team ABRN at Haven Academy. Her team was part of the Vytal Festival. Unfortunately, they lost to team RWBY in the first round." He said.

"Now I remember. She was the first one eliminated. She was also Cerise's teammate back when they were in Haven together. I think I'll pick her. Probably easier to join a team with someone you already know." I said.

"Great I'll let her know and have the arrangements set up." He said.

"I suppose I should go let everyone else know then." I said heading for the door.

"One more thing Crimson." He said. I stopped and turned back to him. "Should I expect you to let me know when you plan to leave, or will I find out when you don't show up for class?"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Let's just say I went through a situation where I had to leave Beacon for a while. I have a feeling you'll be doing the same thing. So, are you going to at least let me know first, or am I going to find out when your teachers do?" He asked.

I gave a small chuckle. "Guess you'll have to find out when I do." I left his office and headed for my dorm. I entered to see team CFVY and MARK inside. "Did I miss something?"

"Figured you'd be telling everyone eventually anyway. So, I went ahead and invited everyone over." Coco said.

"You invited people to someone else's dorm?" I asked.

"Yep now spill it. What did you decide?" Coco asked.

"Yeah about that. I gave my answer and then got told due to the number of broken teams we'd be getting a new member regardless." I said.

"So then you're stepping aside?" Velvet asked.

"Hell No! I understand fully that I'm probably not going to be able to be a huntsman for much longer. However, like I told Shade there are things I need to do before I give it up. I need to get stronger in order to accomplish them. I'm not going to get any stronger if I play it safe and do minor training on the side. I know this probably isn't the popular choice for me to make, but I feel like it was the necessary one." I said.

"You don't wanna give up till you see her again do you?" Coco asked.

"Crimson we went over this. There's no way you'll get to Atlas. Even if you do, I'm sure Jacques has things set up so you'll never see her again." Cerise said.

"Not necessarily. If what I've understood is correct, then he would have no reason to know you were sent to a Vacuo hospital. Weiss probably wouldn't have told him you were diverted worried he'd send someone to finish the job. Since the hospital would have no records of you being there. He'd assume you passed away before arriving. Meaning he wouldn't have precautions set up for a dead man." Kazuto said.

"Either way Weiss isn't the only reason I need to get stronger. I wanna meet my parents someday. Try to get some answers. Not only that, but if Jaune's working with Cinder then I'm sure somehow, he'll find out I'm alive. I have a feeling he'll want to finish the job. If he would get me alone, I need to be able to fight him off." I said.

"Guess this would be a good time to reveal my project from the past couple months." Lilly said stepping forward. "Take your shirt and jacket off."

"Excuse me?" I said.

"What is the little monkey embarrassed to take off his clothes in front of a room half full of girls?" She asked.

"Take it off!" Coco yelled.

I gave a defeated sigh and started taking off my jacket. "This better be good."

Once my shirt was off, she held a metal disk up to where my missing arm was. "Now I will warn you this might hurt a bit." The disk shot multiple small wires into my shoulder. Fusing itself to my skin.

"Fuck that hurt!" I yelled.

"Oh quit it you baby. Now watch this is the fun part." She said. The disk opened and another small wire came out. Then a large amount of liquid silver formed around it and slowly began to take shape. "Voila you now have a fully metal arm. I'll spare you the difficult sciency details since you probably wouldn't understand most of them anyway and say it's magic. This is a prototype I've been working on since I learned about your situation. Before anyone, Coco, says anything I didn't do it because I'm in love with him or anything like that. I did it to see if I could. Essentially to boost my own ego, cause I mean this pretty much cements how awesome I am. It's an incredibly durable substance that can take any shape you want. The only thing it can't do is projectile weapons, but if you wanna turn it into a unicorn and beat someone with it you sure can. It's also dust compatible. Crush a dust crystal with it and it'll be infused with the dust. The only drawback is the effects only last about 10 minutes."

"I'm not sure what to say. Thank you so much Lilly." I said putting my clothes back on.

"Yeah I know I'm awesome. So, who wants to test him out?" She asked.

"I'm in." Kazuto said.

"Same." Fox said.

"Maybe now he'll actually be able to beat you Yatsu." Coco said.

"I doubt it, but I'd love to see him try." Yatsu said.

"Don't think I'm gonna be left out of this." Ryou said.

"Hold on before we do anything else, I'd like to know who your new teammate is going to be." Velvet asked.

"Oh, right I almost forgot. It's a transfer student from Haven Academy that Cerise knows pretty well." I said.

"Yo…" a girl's voice said from the doorway. "Um so which one of you is Crimson? I'm his new teammate…"

"Reese!?" Cerise yelled out.

"Cerise? What are you doing here?" Reese asked.

"Crimson and I transferred here after the attack on Beacon. Why are you here?" Cerise asked.

"Between Lionheart putting an indefinite hold on classes and Nadir leaving the team we ended up splitting up. Bolin and Arslan stayed at Haven. I figured I was gonna be put on a new team anyway I may as well start fresh. Plus, I heard Shade Academy got a new headmaster, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Shade informed me a few minutes ago I'd been placed on a team and told me to head here. I didn't expect the room to be filled with multiple teams though. So who are my new teammates?" Reese said.

"Looks like you're on my team again. The guy with the metal arm is our leader Crimson. The white-haired bunny is Lilly and finally the pink and brown-haired girl is Neo." Cerise said.

"Don't you think your team had enough girls on it?" Coco asked.

"You should know that wasn't the reason I picked her. She used to be on a team with Cerise, so I figured having a familiar face would be a good idea. Plus, she was good enough for her team to make it to the Vytal tournament." I said.

"Then your ex-girlfriend's team took hers out in the first round." Cerise said.

"Yeah not my proudest moment. Speaking of which, your team made it to the semi-finals with two other members didn't it. What happened to them?" Reese asked.

"Skyler decided to leave the team to join what was left of team JNPR. Xana was killed during the attack." I said.

"Oh shit. I'm sorry. That explains the new additions though." Reese said.

Coco pulled me out the door while Cerise continued to introduce everyone.

"So I'm curious. Now you have a new arm and a new teammate. I'm guessing it's only a matter of time until you decide to leave. I know you have your other reason of wanting to meet your parents to get some answers. Have you thought about what'll happen if Weiss has moved on?" She asked.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. Part of me hopes she holds out, but I realize how selfish that is especially with no knowledge if I even made it alive. Right now, I guess all I can do is stay hopeful. I have to at least try." I said.

"I don't want you to think I'm against this. We never know what's going to happen. If we did I doubt any of us would be in this situation. All I'm saying is maybe think over your options. I know your heart belongs to Weiss, but without knowing what happened to you there is always the possibility she's moved on. I may have been joking but I know for a fact that there's a couple girls in that room that have feelings for you. You said yourself you know that you aren't going to be able to keep this up much longer. Maybe think about your future self and who you think you'd be happiest with." She said.

"I understand what you're saying and in many ways your right. For all I know Weiss could be with someone else right now. Like you said though we never know what's going to happen to us. I'll think about what you said but know in my heart right now. I don't want to think of my future without Weiss." I said.

"Just a tip. I hear rabbit faunus amazing in bed." She said.

"So you know about her feelings?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. That girl thinks she can hide things from me, but she is an open book." She said.

"I figured you had an ulterior motive to letting her stay with me in the hospital." I said.

"Yeah, about that. Have you noticed a difference in Cerise too?" She asked.

"I have. Since the attack she's been blaming herself for a lot of what happened. Losing Xana, and almost losing me hit her hard. I think the fight she had with Skyler hit her the hardest though. I've tried telling her she didn't do anything wrong and even Neo told her it wasn't her fault. Part of her refuses to believe it though. I was kinda hoping having an old friend would help her accept it easier, but I'm just trying to stay optimistic with it." I said.

"Poor girl." She said.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something. You're so concerned about my love life is there anyone you like?" I asked.

"I've had my eye on someone. Good luck getting it out of me though." She said.

We walked back in the room and Ryou was huddled in the corner. Andrew was trying to comfort him. The rest of them were still laughing about something. I ended up sleeping on the floor that night since an extra bed hadn't arrived in the room yet. The next couple days went by uneventful. Classes didn't technically start today, but Shade wanted to give his speech to all the students rather than just the newbies like Ozpin did.

"Thank you all for coming. To the returning students I know this isn't what you're used to. However, after the recent events that took place in Vale, I figured it would be better to give the annual speech to all the student rather than just the new students. I'm going to keep this as short as possible. The world is in a worse place than anyone could have predicted. I know there are many broken or missing teams here. The attack on Beacon was a wake-up call for many. This is no joke. This is no walk in the park. This is our duty as Huntsman and Huntresses. To those of you who came back I admire your drive and ambition. To the new students I am especially proud of all of you. Coming here after seeing what happened shows your true heart. I know there have been a lot of rumors going around regarding initiation for the new students, and how Shade Academy will be run now with me in charge. Regarding how the school will be run. I'll be doing a mixture of how Ozpin ran things at Beacon, and how the previous headmaster ran things. Don't worry I'm not implementing Ozpin's uniform rule. I hated that just as much as anyone else. Regarding initiation. With everything going on in the world the fact that you're here is good enough for me. If you didn't belong here, you wouldn't have come after the attack. I'm sure some of you are thinking that's a bad idea. Thinking that just because they are here doesn't mean they have what it takes. Everyone remembers Pyrrha Nikos. She was regarded as one of Beacon Academies best students. She was one of the students lose their life in the attack. If any of you think someone isn't worthy to be here, I want you to remember how even the best can fall. This is no longer about who thinks they are the best. We all need to work together. There will still be a team sorting program later today lead by professors Crane and Fries. To the returning students I do apologize I am working my hardest to finish managing the broken teams. If you have any suggestions feel free to let me know. Once all the teams have been compiled there will be a ceremony to introduce everyone. Returning students are dismissed. New students will be handed over to Professor Luthor." Shade said.

"Guess we'll be getting a team name after all." I said.

"Did you really think you wouldn't?" Coco asked.

"I just figured he'd have given it to us when we added Reese to our team." I asked.

"How's that working out by the way?" She asked.

"Cerise definitely seems to be in a better mood lately." I said.

"How about Neo?" She asked.

"I'm a little surprised you asked. The adjustment had been… difficult. She doesn't blame anyone for not trusting her. She still can't come to terms with the fact that I do trust her. I'm not sure if anyone else has caught it yet, but I'm know she wakes up crying at night." I said.

"Have you talked to her about that yet?" She asked.

"Not yet. This whole ordeal has hit us all hard. Trying to help everyone at once isn't easy." I said.

"Yatsu and Fox are fine especially since they have new sparring partners with team MARK. I can handle Vel for now. I think you need to talk to her again though. Reese and Lilly seem to be helping Cerise cope easier. That just leaves Neo and you. I know you said you'd take responsibility for her, but you need to make sure your taking care of yourself too." She said.

"Yeah I know. You've seen what tragedy does to me though. I want to get it out of the way as soon as possible. Right now, I need to make sure my team is alright before I deal with my issues. Especially since my issues mean I'll be leaving." I said.

"I know. It's not easy being a leader." She said.

"I'll talk with Velvet when I get a better handle on Neo. Which will hopefully be sooner rather than later." I said.

"If you need help let me know." She said. We went back to our dorms. Lilly, Reese and Cerise were in the room, but Neo wasn't.

"Anyone seen Neo?" I asked.

"She wasn't with you?" Cerise asked.

"No. I'll go look for her." I said. 'Why can't things ever be easy anymore.'

I messaged Neo and started heading for Shade's office to see if she headed there. She messaged back saying she was about to head into town. I told her to wait outside for me. I met up with her in the middle of the courtyard.

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"That's what I was gonna ask you. You just left without a word." I said.

"I'm a big girl I can take care of myself." She said.

"That's not what I meant. I know you're still having a hard time accepting the way things are now. Trust me this is still hard for the rest of us to take in too." I said.

"At least you all trust each other. You're the only one who trusts me, and I still don't understand why." She said.

"They're slowly coming around. I don't think Reese knows about your past, so she has no reason to not trust you. I've spent enough time with you to understand your not a threat to us. If you were, you'd have had plenty of chances to strike." I said.

"It doesn't seem like they are coming around. Once Reese finds out I'm sure she'll do the same thing." She said.

I took in a deep breath and led her over to a bench nearby.

"Neo you need to stop blaming yourself. I haven't said anything up till now, but I know you're up at night crying. I don't think anyone else has noticed yet." I said.

"Y-you knew." She asked.

"Yeah. Trust me it was hard to not say anything sooner." I said.

"Carmine should have ended me when he had the chance." She said.

"Don't say that." I said.

"Why not? I'm never going to gain anyone's trust after all the horrible things I did. Not that I deserve it in the first place." She said.

"Neo! You still have people that care about you. Shade cares about you. I care about you." I said.

"He's my brother of course he cares." She said.

"Yeah and how many families would welcome someone back who's done the things you've done. He still cares for his sister and wants to help her. I'm sure plenty of people would turn them into the police or something instead." I said.

"Then what do you see in me? What makes you have any emotions other than anger towards me?" She asked.

"Its really hard to explain. You're right for everything that happened I should hate you and want you dead as much as Carmine. It's like I've been telling you though we all have things in the past we aren't proud of. It's how you overcome them that defines you. I know you want to overcome them, and I want to help you. If that means the next time we face that bitch Cinder we kill her together, then so be it. It's her fault that things are like this. It's her fault Beacon is in the shape it is. It's her fault Roman is dead. It's her fault Jaune turned against us. It's her fault I lost my damn arm and almost died again. I don't blame you for following the orders of that manipulative bitch. You only wanted to help him out, but if we keep falling apart, she'll win. Do you want to avenge Roman or let her continue to kill everyone else we love and care about?" I asked.

"Of course I want her dead." She said.

"Then you can't give up either. Once the others get to know you better, they will learn to trust you. If they really weren't willing to give you a chance, they would have tried getting revenge by now. It's been two months, and nothing has happened." I said. I got up and stood in front of her. "If you agree can learn to forgive yourself, I'll help you make sure that Cinder dies."

"Why do you want to help me avenge Roman? He was a criminal even before Cinder got involved." She said.

"You have your reason to want her dead I have mine. I may not agree with Roman's decisions, but he's not the one in front of me right now. If the roles were reversed and he was the one alive wanting Cinder dead for your death I'd still stand by him. This isn't about petty crime anymore. There is some end of the world level shit going on now. The famous expression is the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Cinder must be stopped, no matter the cost." I said.

Neo stood up and gave a small chuckle. "You have to be the dumbest guy I've ever met. You have a lot more in common with him than you know. If you wanna help me avenge Roman, then when the time comes, I'll do what I can to help you with Weiss. Not sure what I'll be able to do, but I'll at least try." She said.

"I appreciate it. Anyway, if you still want to head into town, I'd be happy to accompany you." I said.

"Sure, why not…" She said. She looked towards the dorms. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd still rather go on my own. Would you do me a favor and meet me on the roof of the dorms tonight." She asked.

"Uh sure. Can I ask why though? We have classes tomorrow, so we probably shouldn't be out to late." I said.

"You trust me, right?" She asked.

"Yeah but…" I started saying.

"Then trust me." She said.

"Alright. What time do you wanna meet?" I asked.

"About seven should be fine." She said.

"Okay." I said.

I left for the training room while Neo headed into town. When I got to the training hall, I accidentally bumped into someone coming out at the same time. Knocking us both to the ground.

"Shit, sorry about that." I said.

"Go figure, another faunus causing issues." A female voice said.

"I'm sorry? I said confused.

"Yeah. Sure you are." She said getting up. I started to get up, but she kicked me back down.

"The hell was that for?" I asked trying to get back up again.

"Now we're even." She said laughing.

"Oh we are far from even bitch." I said. I changed my arm into a hammer and smashed it into her kneecap. She fell back down to the ground next to me. I started standing back up again.

"The fuck is your problem banana brain?" she said clutching her leg.

"My problem is I accidentally bumped into you, and you act as if it was on purpose. So then you think it's okay to hit me for no reason?" I said before kicking her back into the training room. "Scarlet right? I was warned a couple months ago about you being a Faunus hating bitch. Give me a good reason why the constantly discriminated against for no reason faunus shouldn't give you a reason to hate them." I said changing my arm into a mace.

"You wanna know why? Because five years ago I watched as a scorpion faunus brutally murdered my family. All with a god damn smile on his face and laughing hysterically. That a good enough reason you piece of shit?" She asked.

Yes and no. I can understand why you'd hate that faunus. I can understand why you'd hate the White Fang. I hate those bastards too. Because of them one of my best friends and teammate was killed. However, you are no better than the White Fang if you judge an entire race because of a few bad eggs. The Schnee family is known to be racist towards Faunus and I was dating the heir. Her father and you are huge picks towards me before getting to know me, but I don't hate all of humanity because of it. Grow the fuck up. Our whole race shouldn't be condemned because of what one or two bad eggs did. I accidentally bumped into you and apologized for it. Now let's start over and we can pretend this didn't happen." I said.

"You really think I should forgive you after what you did?" She asked standing up.

"Defending myself from a bully? This is nothing compared to the last bully I stood up to. I made him beg. I'm offering you a chance to prevent it from going that far." I said.

"Ha you really think you could take me?" She asked.

"In my current condition, it's a slim chance I'd be able to win. Before the Vytal Festival I'd have welcomed the challenge." I said.

"Your 'condition' would have nothing to do with you losing." She said.

"Alright fine. Guess we're gonna do it the hard way. Good thing I need the practice." I said. I saw Andrew off to the side of the room. "Hey, Andrew, you wanna help me out with something quick?"

"You're seriously asking for help after all that? Your all talk." She said.

"I don't have a lot of time to play. So, it's going to be a fifteen-minute match. Whoever has more aura left at the end wins. He's just going to be timekeeper." I said.

Scarlet pulled her machetes from her back and readied herself. I pulled out my SMG's and loaded ice dust into one and gravity into the other. I switched the gravity gun to its sword mode.

"You sure this is a good idea man?" Andrew asked.

"Nope. You should know by now that bad ideas are my specialty though." I said.

"If you say so. Ready… Go!" Andrew said.

Scarlet rushed me immediately. I fired a few shots into the ground in front of her. I dropped my gun and formed my arm into a shield. She slipped on one of the patches of ice and fell onto my shield. Using her momentum, I flipped her over me. I reformed my shield into my arm again and picked my gun back up. I turned to fire at her, but she was already up and slammed her knee into my face. Knocking me to the ground. I managed to roll out of the way before she was able to slash at me with her machetes. I slammed my sword into the ground launching me into the air. I switched my sword to its gun mode and started firing both at her. She dodged the incoming rounds and met me when I reached the ground. She slashed at me taking out a large chunk of my aura. I switched to my swords and tried fighting back, but she blocked every one of my strikes. She managed to knock my swords out of the way enough to kick me in the stomach and send me flying backwards. I dropped one of my swords and formed my arm into a shield again and slammed it into her as hard as I could. She staggered back a bit and charged again. Her swords collided with my shield in a near stalemate. She was slowly pushing towards me.

"Time!" Andrew said.

We both backed off and I recovered my sword.

"The final score is forty-nine percent to sixty-one percent. Scarlet wins." Andrew said.

"Maybe next time you won't run your mouth so much." Scarlet said as she started to walk away.

"Yeah, and maybe next time I'll use my semblance." I said collapsing my weapons.

"Like it would matter." She said.

"Really? One sec." I said activating my semblance. "Andrew mind reading the score again?"

"Seventy-nine to sixty-one. Crimson would have won." He said.

"Wait. Only seventy-nine?" I asked.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked.

"My semblance makes me fearless as well as giving me an aura and strength boost. Except normally it's a fifty percent boost. I only got thirty for some reason this time." I said confused.

"With the boost the two of you probably would have been a little more on par." He said.

"I'm not so sure right now. If I didn't get the full aura boost, I don't know how much of a strength boost I'd have gotten." I said.

"Then let's continue and find out." She said.

"Can't, love to, but can't. I've got other plans I only intended to come for a quick workout." I said heading out of the training room.

Scarlet ran in front of me to cut me off. "You really think I'm gonna let you off that easily? You boast about being stronger and then refuse to show it? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Nobody special. If you wanna have a rematch another day, I'll give it to you. Right now, I have more important things to deal with." I said walking past her.

"Typical faunus, running away with his tail between his legs." She said.

I ignored her and continued walking away. I went back to the room and got a quick shower before heading up to the roof. When I got there a girl with long white hair in a white dress was standing there with her back to me. When I landed she turned slightly towards me.

"Hey, um sorry if I disturbed you, I was told to meet someone up here." I said.

"It's alright Crimson." A familiar voice said.

"What did you say?" I asked

The girl turned fully around.

"Weiss? How is this possible?" I asked walking towards her.

"I'm not Weiss." The girl said. She blinked, and her blue eyes changed to pink and brown.

"Neo? What the hell are you doing?" I said fairly annoyed.

"Please hear me out. A while back I read about a type of therapy where you have someone dress up as a person you've lost to be able to tell them something you never got the chance to say. Similar to people who try to use dark magic to contact the dead. I thought it was worth a try at least." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me about that earlier?" I asked.

She walked away and picked something up off the ground. She started walking back towards me.

"Because originally I didn't plan on doing it for you. I wanted you to do it for me." She said handing me a bag. On top was a hat like Roman's with a white coat underneath.

"Again, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" I asked.

"Because I was still unsure if I wanted to do this or not. I didn't want to tell you to ultimately chicken out." She said.

"Okay, but what made you decide to dress up like Weiss?" I asked.

"Because I know there are a lot of things you wish you could tell her. Just like I wish I could talk to Roman one last time." She said.

"Of course there is a lot I wish I could say to Weiss, but isn't this still kind of wrong?" I asked.

"I'm sorry." She said dissipating the outfit. "I still want to try it though so… would you at least let me try?"

"Alright." I said.

I started taking the clothing out of the bag and started putting it on. Once it was on, she fixed my hair so it more closely resembled Roman's. She took a couple steps back and took a deep breath.

"You fucking ASSHOLE! I tried warning you that siding with her was a horrible Idea! Did you listen to me? NO! All you gave a damn about was the fucking money! We had a good thing going before she showed up. It may have only been petty crime, but we were doing alright." She said as tears started falling from her eyes. "I didn't even like doing all those bad things, but I had you, so I didn't care. At first maybe I was just jealous and worried she'd take you away from me. Not that it mattered, you never saw me the same way I saw you anyway. My greatest fear was realized when I watched that grimm swallow you whole. That bitch did end up taking you away from me. I never imagined it would be like this though."

"Neo…" I started.

"Shut up! I loved you alright? I never told you because I knew you only ever say me as an accomplice. I wasn't even an equal in your eyes. You're a fucking dumbass! If you ever thought about anyone or anything other than money or yourself then maybe you'd still be alive. Maybe I wouldn't feel so broken and alone now." She said.

She was looking down tears streaming down her face and her fists clenched tight. She started walking towards me. When she finally looked up, she started swinging her fist. I didn't react in time and she punched my cheek. I staggered back and fell to the ground. She got on top of me and started laying into me with multiple punches.

"Neo!" I yelled.

"You stupid selfish inconsiderate greedy fucking jackass!" She said with each punch.

"Neo!" I yelled again. I grabbed her arms to stop her from hitting me.

She struggled to regain control, managing to break free a couple times before I was able to stop her again. "Was the fucking money really worth losing your damn life!"

"Neo that's enough. You need to control yourself." I said.

Her struggling slowly lessened. She collapsed onto me and began crying louder. I wrapped my arms around her until she calmed down.

"I'm so sorry Crimson." She said.

"It's alright." I said.

After things had calmed down, she asked me to go with her to a spot away from the school. She placed some rocks together in a small pile.

"Hand me one of your weapons and fire dust please." She said.

I loaded fire ammo into one of my pistols and handed it to her. She switched it to its sword mode and struck it on the ground to ignite it. She propped the hilt up with the rocks, so the blade was pointed towards the sky. She took the coat from the bag and draped it on the blade. Setting it on fire. She took the hat out next and stared at it for a bit.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.

"Yeah, I am." She said placing the hat on top of the sword. She wrapped her arms around me and stared at the fire. I put my arm around her as we both watched as the coat and hat slowly burned away.

"Goodbye Roman."


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: What's up people RebelKira here with a new chapter of RWBY: Red Ice. If you're enjoying this and haven't already check out Team BAWM over on TheBurningRuler's page, Nightmare 6-4 and I are helping co-write it along with Ruler. Also check out my other stories, RWBY: Kitty-Kat and my shiny new one RWBY: Shining Destiny.**

When Neo and I returned to our room we had to explain what had happened. Cerise didn't look like she was happy about Neo laying into me with multiple punches. Lilly seemed too tired to care. Reese was completely confused about the whole situation. Cerise said she'd explain better tomorrow. Soon everyone except me had passed out. I still had a lot on my mind. I eventually managed to fall asleep a couple hours later. On the plus side Neo hadn't woken up crying. Maybe there was something to that therapy method after all. Classes went by slow, but they were mostly just introductory stuff. After classes I headed back to my room. I was the first to come back. I still had a lot on my mind, so I laid on my bed and started listening to music. My eyes started to feel heavy and before I knew it, I was asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a purple silhouette surrounded by a white background. It held it's hand out to me. I reached for it and started walking closer to it. Before I could grab it, a yellow silhouette appeared next to it and punched me. Knocking me to the ground. The purple silhouette turned black. A light blue silhouette appeared a few feet away. The black figure produced a spear and threw it towards the blue figure, shattering her on impact. The yellow figure stood over me it raised it's leg up and kicked me in the face.

I shot up and looked around to see I was back in my dorm.

"Crimson you okay?" Cerise asked looking a little worried.

"Yeah I'm fine just a really weird dream." I said.

"Nothing you're gonna freak out about like last time, right?" She asked.

"No, that one had way to much detail. This one lacked any. I don't know if it was supposed to mean something or complete nonsense. All I saw were colored figures no faces or anything." I said.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I'm not even sure, it went by so fast. One of the figured changed colors one shattered and that's all I remember." I said.

"Weird. Well as long as you're okay. Wanna head down for some dinner?" She asked.

"Actually If you don't mind could we talk for a bit first?" I asked.

"Um sure? Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah I've just had a lot on my mind lately. I remembered I never held up on my end of the deal with the Vytal Festival. I owed everyone on the team and paid back Skyler and Xana, but I never got a chance to repay you." I said.

"Well considering you ended up losing in the end I guess it doesn't really matter anyway." She said.

"That's not the point. I said I'd repay you all and I never got a chance to make it up to you. So, I want that chance. How about tomorrow after classes we head into the city and do whatever you want?" I asked.

"Really it's fine. Honestly, I'm just glad you're still alive. So, don't worry about it." She said.

"If you say so. It still doesn't quite feel right." I said.

"Well I suppose it you wanna start making stuff up I think I owe you some payback from when you were in the hospital." She said lifting a book with her semblance.

"You said something about getting dinner, right?" I said.

"That's what I thought." She said.

We headed down to the cafeteria. Team CFVY was already there along with the rest of my team. We started comparing the teachers here to the ones at Beacon and Haven. We were glad the ones here were easier to understand than Dr. Oobleck. It felt like we were actually able to learn instead of falling asleep in Port's class. There surprisingly wasn't much of a difference for combat class. Unfortunately, our comparisons turned the conversation to a lower tone as we ended up remembering some of our favorite times at Beacon. Luckily Cerise and Reese were able to cheer us up some by telling some of their stories from Haven. Afterward Neo and I headed for the library.

"So, I've been meaning to ask, you pretty much grew up on the streets, right? How much do you actually know about school related stuff?" I asked.

"I guess I can't really say. It's a new experience for me. I should be fine though." She said.

"Well if you need any help don't be afraid to ask." I said.

"That's not what you wanted to ask is it?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You're wondering how I'm doing after last night. I'm still trying to come to terms with it all, but I woke up feeling better than I have in a long time." She said.

"That's good, I'm glad to see it worked for you." I said.

"Thanks again for letting me try that. I'm sorry for hitting you though." She said.

"It's fine I get that you just got caught in the moment." I said.

"Have you thought about if you wanna try it for Weiss?" She asked.

"Not really. If I decide to I'll let you know." I said.

"Alright." She said.

We sat and talked for a few minutes and decided to head back to our rooms. On our way back we saw carmine walking out of Shade's office.

"What's up monkey boi!" Carmine yelled out.

"What are you doing back? Not only that, but is Shade still here?" I asked.

"Yeah dude's been busy as fuck with having to figure this shit out all on his own. No one knows what happened to the previous headmaster either. Anyway, good to see the tiny here hasn't killed you yet." Carmine said pointing at Neo.

"That was Cinder's call not mine!" Neo yelled.

"You're right you're just the one who put the knife in Onyx aren't you?" Carmine said.

"I just did what I was told." Neo said.

"Knock it off both of you we don't need a fight right now. I'm sure it's the last thing Shade wants right now." I said.

"Whatever." Carmine said.

"So why are you here anyway?" I asked.

"Shade and I had some things to go over. Nothing you need to worry about." Carmine said.

"Alright. Neo would you mind heading back on your own? I need to talk to Carmine alone." I said.

"Sure." Neo said before heading towards the dorms.

"How long do you plan on being in the area?" I asked.

"Dunno, Probably only a few days." Carmine said.

"Think you'd be able to make a special trip?" I asked.

"Where to?" He asked.

"Menagerie." I said.

"You are aware humans aren't allowed there right? None of my crew would be able to do anything." He said.

"All you gotta do is get me there." I said.

"Wait you wanna go to Menagerie? Didn't Shade give you a sweet deal to be here? Classes that bad you wanna dip out after one day?" He asked.

"I have my reasons. Can you do it?" I asked.

"I suppose. When do you wanna leave by?" He asked.

"How's tomorrow?" I asked.

"That soon? Don't you wanna give your friends some warning or something?" He asked.

"They'll probably try stopping me. This is something I need to do." I said.

"If you say so. Be ready by seven tomorrow night." He said.

"Thanks." I said turning to head to my room.

"You say that right outside my office and don't even bother telling me? I'm hurt." Shade said.

"Yeah, but I could see you by the door. Pretty sure you were ready in case he tried to attack Neo again." I said pointing to Carmine.

"So, you're really leaving after one day? Something else happen?" Shade asked.

"Nothing happened. I just made my decision." I said.

"You really think it's a good idea to leave your friends in the dark like that?" Shade asked.

"He's right. Once we leave Vacuo you won't be able to contact any of them. This how you wanna leave the people you care about?" Carmine asked.

I gave a small chuckle. "They all know I'm known for making stupid decisions. This won't be a shock to anyone." I said.

"Well if you're serious about this then good luck to you. If you wanna leave inconspicuously I would suggest you at least show up to class tomorrow." Shade said.

"Thanks. I suppose I should head back so I can prepare." I said.

"How are you gonna pack with your whole team in the room with you?" Carmine asked.

"I'll figure something out." I said.

I headed back to my room. When I got there Reese and Lilly were already asleep but Cerise and Neo were gone. I decided to lay down and think of a plan. Cerise and Neo returned a few minutes later.

"He's asleep already?" Cerise whispered.

"Guess we'll just have to wait till tomorrow to talk to him." Neo whispered.

'What would they need to talk to me about? They didn't find out, did they?' I thought.

"Could always wake him up." Cerise said.

"No just let him sleep. We'll just make sure to talk to him tomorrow." Neo said.

I stayed in bed waiting until I was certain they were all asleep. I got up and started packing a few clothes away in my bag. Once I finished, I placed the bag under my bed and tried to get some sleep. The next day went by slow. I knew I was leaving so I didn't pay attention in any of my classes. Once classes were over, I headed to my dorm to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I grabbed my bag and headed for my locker. I placed my bag in my locker, so I only needed to make one stop before I left. I headed outside to a somewhat secluded area. I laid on the ground and pulled out my scroll and started playing a song.

 **(Cue Leaves in the Stream by Aurelio Voltaire Feat. Alissa White-Gluz)**

 **Crimson: Sitting here, bored. Waiting for a flight. Though I've got to go. Something isn't right. So I called a car. And head back to town. To the place we met. But you were not around. And I wonder what you've done to me, I've lost all my ability to think logically. I know I've never felt this way before. Like someone pushed me through a door. And there's no turning back. No.**

 **Neo: Your left the bar at 4am.I feared I'd never see your face again**

I sat up and saw Neo standing in front of me. She continued singing as she sat next to me.  
 **  
So I went to the airport and looked around. And didn't know your flight or where you were bound. And I wonder what you've done to me. I've lost all my ability to think logically. I know I've never felt this way before. Like someone pushed me through a door. And there's no turning back. No more**

 **Both: Oh now it seems. You and me. Are two leaves caught in the stream, You and I. Side by side. On the tides swept out to sea**

 **Crimson: I pray tell. What kinda spell. Have you placed on my soul?**

 **Neo: What's affected you. It has got me too, And I'm losing all control**

 **Crimson: I've given up. I was at the end. (Neo: Where are you?) I lost all hope. Of seeing you again. (Neo: I'm searching.) In another time. In another place (Neo: I'll find you.) And here we are. Standing face to face**

 **Both: And I wonder what you've done to me. I've lost all my ability to think logically. I know I've never felt this way before. Like someone pushed me through a door. And there's no turning back. No more. Oh now it seems. You and me. Are two leaves caught in the stream. You and I. Side by side. On the tides swept out to sea. It would seem. You and me. Are two leaves caught in the stream. Maybe life. Did decide. That we're simply meant to be**

As the song fades out, I stop it from going to the next one.

"So I'll start with the less important question. How do you know that song?" I asked.

"I had other hobbies other than murder and Roman." Neo said.

"Wait Roman was a… You know what I don't think I wanna know." I said.

"I meant any other crime Roman had me doing. Although I have my suspicions, he and Cinder were fucking any chance they got. Anyway, any extra downtime I had I spent listening to music. It helped my calm my mind from the things he was making me do. Mostly a lot of Voltaire, Three Days Grace, and Halestorm." She said.

"All incredibly positive." I said.

"I mean Voltaire had some non-dark songs. Besides in some weird way listening to depressing and dark music when I was upset really helped calm me down." She said.

"Alright that's fair I suppose. So now that that's covered. What did you follow me out here to talk about?" I asked.

"How do you know I wasn't coming out here to sing my own depressing ballad song and you just happened to beat me to it." She said.

"Because I wasn't asleep when you and Cerise came back. So what do you guys need to talk to me about?" I said.

"It's nothing important." She said solemnly.

"Doesn't sound like it. Just tell me Neo." I said.

"We don't want you to go." She said.

"Yeah I had a feeling it was about that. I'm guessing you heard my conversation with Carmine and Shade. It's not like I'll be going for good. I'm just going to Menagerie to meet my mom. I'll be coming back afterward." I said.

"Still Cerise and I are really worried about you." She said.

"Don't take this the wrong way. Cerise I understand, but why you. Just a couple days ago you were still questioning why I would accept you." I said.

"True, but like I said the other say. Aside from all the crime and stuff you and Roman have a lot in common. You both make incredibly stupid ideas. Face major consequences for them, and then get right back up and make another stupid decision." She said.

"Don't tell me you have feelings for me now too." I said.

"No. I'm not sure if I could ever have feelings like that for someone. I'm not even sure if I really loved Roman. If anything, I figure I'm destined to be a bodyguard for a dumb-dumb. Maybe I'm not destined to have a romantic relationship with anyone. Who knows? You gave me a chance just like he did back then. I feel I need to pay you back in some way. Besides we made that promise we would take that bitch down together." She said.

"You really need to think of yourself in a more positive light. I mean you've been doing better but come on you can't think that there isn't someone out there for you. That your only purpose is to be a bodyguard. I mean I would have never expected to date the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Hell, I didn't even know who she was when I first met her. It's your life you've gotta make the most of it." I said.

"I suppose you're right. Still what about everyone else? You really just wanna leave us behind without a word? You do understand how pissed Coco and Cerise are going to be when you get back." She said.

"You heard our conversation, If I tell them they are just going to try to stop me. I can't have my hand held the rest of my life I need to be able to do things on my own. I appreciate how much everyone cares about me, and I hate the idea of hurting them. It wasn't an easy decision. Like I said though I don't intend to stay away for long. A month max. after that I'll probably come back." I said.

"There's no way of stopping you is there?" She asked.

"Not this time." I said.

I checked my scroll and saw it was six-thirty.

"I should probably go grab my stuff." I said standing up.

Neo stood up and grabbed my hand.

"Just be careful okay." She said.

"I will. Besides it's only Menagerie. What kind of danger could happen there?" I said.

"White Fang?" She asked.

"I'm pretty sure they don't operate there. It's supposed to be a haven for Faunus." I said.

"True." She said.

We started heading back and I went strait for my locker while she headed for the dorms. I grabbed my weapons and put my SMG's in my bag along with Xana's Kunai. I put my sniper on my back and put my bag on over it. I closed my locker and headed out to the front of the school. When I got there my teammates along with teams CFVY and MARK were standing by Carmine's armored SUV.

'Yeah I should have expected this. Question is was it Shade or Neo.' I thought with a smile as I walked up to the group.

"And just where do you think you're going freshman?" Coco said with her arms crossed.

"Menagerie" I said.

"I'm hurt man. I thought you'd have at least told us before you decided to take off." Andrew said.

"Sorry man, was worried I was gonna be told no." I said looking at Coco.

"You should have at least told us you were thinking about it rather that decide on the spot." Coco said.

"And if I had I'd have probably been convinced to stay. Look everyone I swear I appreciate how much you guys care about me. I have to be allowed to make my own decisions though. Most of you wanted me to stop being a huntsman. I understand why, but just like then I chose not to because I thought it wasn't right for me. I feel like this is what's right for me right now." I said.

Cerise walked towards me. "I didn't wanna do this, but you said you'd do anything I'd ask to make up for the tournament. So, I'm asking you to stay. Please."

"I'm not leaving for good. I plan on coming back." I said.

"What if something happens though?" She asked.

"Seriously I haven't been training to be a huntsman for nothing. I've got like four weapons on me. I know how to fight. It's a poorly named safe haven for faunus. Nothing bad is going to happen. I'm gonna go, meet my mom, get some answers and come back. Is that really something you guys think I can't handle?"

"It's not that we think you can't handle it. With everything that's happened especially after you were supposed to be killed at the Vytal Festival. We don't want anyone doing something like this. If anyone else in our group tried to do this we'd act the same way." Coco said.

"Wait he was supposed to be what now?" Reese asked.

"No one told you yet?" I asked.

"I'll explain it to her later." Cerise said.

"So, I'm gonna address the point no one else has. If you think it'll be a simple there and back why are you taking all your weapons?" Fox asked.

"Grimm live all over Remnant. We'll probably end up running into some on the way there and back." I said.

"And you don't think anything could happen in that time that would warrant us to worry about you?" Coco asked.

"It's possible, but I'm also going with Mercenaries. One of which is a healer." I said.

"I don't see an issue with it." Kazuto said.

"He did say he'll be coming back. If we don't support him it's like saying we don't trust him." Ryou said.

"They do have a point Coco." Yatsuhashi said.

"You know damn well it's not that we don't trust him." Coco said.

"Coco, it'll be fine." Velvet said.

Coco looked like she wanted to argue but gave up. She walked up to me and Cerise. She put her arm around Cerise. "Well we lost. Guess we gotta go with Plan B."

"Plan B?" I asked.

"Yeah, we were pretty sure we weren't gonna be able to talk you out of this, but we thought we'd at least give it a shot. So, we came up with a backup plan. We'll let you go, but you're taking Velvet with you." Coco said.

"We don't doubt you'll be okay, we just don't want you going alone." Cerise said.

"And since only faunus are allowed on Menagerie you had two options. We figured you'd be happier having Velvet over Lilly since you know her better." Coco said.

"I'm sure that's the only reason." I whispered.

"I may have alternate hopes." Coco said.

"I'm guessing this is my only option?" I said.

"Well we do have Plan C if you don't accept this one." Coco said.

"Which is?" I asked.

Coco pointed at Cerise. Cerise lifted her hand up and it started glowing pink.

"Got it. Alright Plan B." I said.

"Good. Just make sure you take care of each other." She said before turning to her teammate. "Velvet call your locker!"

Velvet nodded and pulled out her scroll. A few seconds later her locker came crashing to the ground near the group. She opened it and grabbed a bag and her camera out of it. Coco walked back to the group with Cerise still next to me.

"I've got a couple minutes if you wanna finally admit how you feel." I said.

"You already know. Not like saying it will make you stay anyway." She said.

"True, but if something would happen would you really be okay living with the regret of never saying it?" I asked.

"Fine. I like you… a lot… happy?" She asked.

"Yeah, but there's one thing I want you to do before I leave. Call it a goodbye present." I said.

"What's that?" She asked.

I leaned in and whispered what I wanted her to do.

"Are you fucking insane?" She whispered.

"Probably, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Do that for me and if I'm wrong you can beat the shit out of me when I get back." I said.

"How about I just beat the shit out of you for suggesting it?" She said.

"Just do it." I said.

"You're a fucking asshole." She said.

"You'll thank me later." I said.

"You'd better hope I do." She said.

"See you're agreeing because part of you wants to. Which means part of me is right." I said.

"All of you better be right or Lilly's gonna need to make you more than an arm." She said.

We walked back to the group. Velvet and I got in the back of the SUV. Before I shut the door, I looked at Cerise. Cerise's face got red. She grabbed Coco's hand and kissed her on the cheek. Coco was shocked at first but kissed Cerise back.

"Knew it!" I yelled.

Cerise and Coco both held up their middle fingers to me. I started closing the door when Lilly stopped me.

"Hang on." Lilly said. She turned to Neo. "Let me see your scroll a minute." Neo handed over her scroll confused. Lilly pulled her scroll out as well. She started typing something in on both. She handed Neos back to her. A few seconds later two more lockers came crashing to the ground. Lilly walked over and opened one.

"Think fast and get in." Lilly said throwing Neo her umbrella.

Neo caught it but she stood confused. Lilly was getting into the other locker and pulled out two bags. Lilly walked over and handed one of the bags to Neo.

"You coming or not?" Lilly said getting in the vehicle

"I can't humans aren't allowed on Menagerie." Neo said.

"Why are you coming?" I asked.

"Someone's gotta maintain you're gear. Plus I gotta make sure you're arm and her ears stay working." She said.

"My ears?" Neo asked confused.

"Right I never said anything." Lilly said digging into her bag. She pulled out a headband with fake white fox ears on it and threw it to Neo. "Here put these on." Neo placed the headband on. "Alright now in the left ear there is a small button, press it." Neo pressed the button and the headband disappeared. The ears changed color to match Neo's hair color. "I used a similar method to from Crimson's arm to make these. They allow you to blend in as a faunus. I knew this situation would come up eventually, so I started making them. The only question was whether it would be Neo or Cerise that would end up using them. Since Cerise seems like she's happy staying with Coco now that leaves Neo. Now get in and you can praise me on the way."

"Do you really think anyone will believe this?" Neo asked. The ears reacted to her emotions and moved.

"Duh, Like I said it's similar to Crimson's arm. They will move and react accordingly to your emotions. Just don't push the button again until after we've left Menagerie. Plus they will change color with whatever disguise you choose to take." Lilly said.

Neo changed her appearance to resemble Coco. The ears changed color along with her hair.

"I'm impressed, although the ears don't work for me." Coco said.

Neo changed back and climbed in the vehicle.

"Oh, before I forget there is another bag in my locker that has a bag of Cerise's stuff. You should probably take that." Lilly said.

"Are we finally re… Why is she in there?" Carmine said walking up to the group.

"Yes, we're ready let's get going." I said.

"Answer my fucking question first." Carmine said.

"She's coming with. They wouldn't let me leave without taking them." I said.

"The bunnies can come. I refuse to let her go." Carmine said.

"I'll watch her. Let's get going." I said.

"We'll go when she gets the fuck out." Carmine said.

"It's fine Crimson." Neo said as she started getting out. I grabbed her hand.

"She's my responsibility and this is my mission. The sooner you get us to Menagerie the sooner you don't have to deal with her. Let's get going." I said.

"Kid you're really starting to piss me off. If you knew what I went though with that bitch you'd know why she can't be fucking trusted." Carmine said.

"Let's see if I can match up. From what I understand because of her and who she worked for your brother died. Because of her and the people she used to work for I lost my teammate Xana. You almost lost your wife because of them too. I should be dead because of it. I'm saying she's trustable now. Now I'll say this one last time. Lets. Go." I said.

"Let's just go Carmine." Celadon said.

"There's plenty of us to deal with her if she goes rouge." Laurel said.

"Damnit fine. I don't wanna hear a word from you till we get to the ship though." Carmine said pointing at Neo before getting in the driver's door.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Cerise yelled out.

"Don't let him do anything stupid Velvet!" Coco yelled.

Carmine started the engine and we began driving away.

"What did you mean by ship?" I asked.

"How else do you think we're gonna get there?" Carmine said.

"I mean like airship or like boat?" I asked.

"Boat." Carmine said.

The next few hours we rode in silence. I watched on my scroll as my signal to Cerise faded away. When the vehicle finally stopped, we got out to see a giant warship floating in the water.

"Alright now I know you're compensating for something." I said.

"Hey, Atlas Military lost it, I found it. I'm not commissioning these vehicles." Carmine said.

"Riiight." I said.

"Dude it's like a fucking aircraft carrier. I was expecting yacht size max." Lilly said.

"Is this really the best thing to take to Menagerie?" Velvet asked.

"Well you wanted me to be sure I got there safely. I can't imagine anything getting me there safer than this." I said.

"Well it's either this or we airdrop you in. Last time we tried flying in we couldn't get clearance to land so we had to parachute in. If we can get the clearance this time, I might be able to fly you in. If not, we'll have to dock it." Carmine said.

"So, you don't have a smaller ship for instances like this?" I asked.

"Not unless I haven't found it yet." Carmine said.

"What do you mean by haven't found it yet?" I asked.

"Hey, it's a big ship and I'm a busy man. There is a chance there is something stashed aboard that I haven't come across yet." Carmine said.

"Things don't just show up for no reason. Especially not something as important as that would be." I said.

"Didn't your teammate just continently have a pair of fake ears ready? Not only that she had a new arm made for you. If that's not the definition of plot convenience I'd love your description." Carmine said heading towards the massive ship.

"You guy's follow Carmine. I gotta get this thing on from a different entrance." Celadon said.

We started walking towards the ship. I had Lilly and Velvet go ahead of me and Neo.

"Don't let Carmine get to you. I know we can trust you. As long as you're with me he's none of your concern. We only have to deal with him until we get to Menagerie. After that if we have to we'll take a different boat back." I said.

"Thanks. I don't blame him for being pissed. I kinda wish he'd at least lighten up a bit." Neo said.

"Some people are just to hardened to forgive as easily. With his line of work I'm sure he's been betrayed enough that trust doesn't come easy." I said.

"I suppose." Neo said.

We entered the massive ship and Carmine escorted us to our sleeping quarters.

"Feel free to move about the ship. I can understand it'll get boring being cooped up in here for so long. However, I recommend not going off alone. We wouldn't want anyone getting lost. Also, I probably shouldn't need to say it, but anywhere marked danger, caution, etc. Don't open slash enter it. Any questions find a member of the crew." Carmine said.

"Thanks." I said.

Carmine walked away leaving the four of us alone.

"Well I'll be the one to say it. I'm pretty sure we just upgraded from huntsman in training to military personnel. At least he doesn't seem like as much of a dick as Ironwood." Lilly said.

"He still wasn't very nice to Neo. What happened between the two of you?" Velvet asked.

"A couple years back when I was still working with Roman and Cinder. We ended up taking out the Original Wolf Pack team. The ones you've met are his new teammates. We practically had a war going with them. We ended up kidnapping his girlfriend at the time. Carmine just barely managed to rescue her in time. He was forced to watch as Roman and I killed the rest of his original teammates in front of him. We almost killed him too before the Atlas Military showed up." Neo said.

"Why were you going after them?" Lilly asked.

"No clue, Roman wouldn't tell me." Neo said.

"Well it doesn't matter now. You're not with them. We know you aren't evil anymore. We trust you right?" I asked.

"Yeah if he doesn't wanna believe it that's his problem. We got your back." Lilly said.

"Right." Velvet said.

"Thanks." Neo said smiling.

"Hey Crimson, can I talk to you?" Velvet asked.

"Sure." I said.

We walked away from the others and found a place to sit next to each other.

"Are you mad at Coco?" She asked.

"No why would I be?" I asked.

"You know the main reason I'm here is because she hopes something happens between us." She said.

"Yeah I know. That doesn't mean I'm upset with her. Besides she can have fun with Cerise while were gone." I said.

"I was gonna ask about that. Why did Cerise kiss Coco?" She asked.

"Oh, I've had a feeling they've had a crush on each other since Beacon. I'm surprised Coco never did anything about it, but Cerise is to stubborn and cautious after what happened at her primary school. So, I told Cerise that I knew Coco liked her and I wanted to see them kiss before I left. Honestly, I didn't actually know for sure, but judging by their reactions I'm pretty sure I was right." I said.

"You're insane you know that right." She said with a small laugh.

"It's part of my charm." I said.

"True." She said.

"So just out of curiosity, I know we had our incident at the hospital…" I started saying.

"I haven't told anyone what happened. Coco knows something happened, but she doesn't know the details. At least I don't think she does." She said.

"Well that's good to know, but not what I was going to ask." I said.

"Oh… So what were you going to ask?" She asked.

"Well I was wondering. Have you thought about Ruby at all since that day?" I asked.

"Yeah… about that. I'm thinking maybe you were right. I know you're hoping you can see Weiss again, and want to try seeing her again before you jump into something else. I kinda started thinking the same way about Ruby. So I was wondering. When we leave Menagerie… Could we head back to Vale first... I know she lives somewhere in Patch. So, if we could stop there first, I'd really appreciate it." She said.

"I'm not going to promise anything. I'll see what I can do though." I said.

"Thanks Crimson." She said leaning her head on my shoulder.

"So just so were clear. Where does this put you and me?" I asked.

"I still have feelings for you…" She said pulling out the necklace. "But Ruby means as much to me as Weiss does to you. I feel horrible about what happened in the hospital. So… Can we just… try to pretend it didn't happen?" She asked.

"You know it won't just go away right?" I asked.

"I know…" She said.

"If we do manage to see them again, we'll just have to hope they aren't too mad with us." I said.

"I guess." Velvet said.

"On the plus side Ruby probably won't be as mad at you as Weiss will be to me. Things may have started happening between us, but you decided she was more important to you. Weiss will probably slap me as hard as possible." I said.

"I just hope Ruby is okay. Last time I saw her she was unconscious." She said.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's tough. She's probably chilling at home eating some chocolate chip cookies or something." I said.

(Meanwhile with Ruby, Ren, Skyler and Nora)

"I'm just saying, there's more members of JNPR in the team than RWBY or CCCX. It just makes sense to go with THAT one." Nora said as her, Skyler and Ren walked in the forest.

"But it's Ruby's mission LVDR implies that I'm the leader." Ren said.

"Ugh. How can I be more clear!?" Nora said stretching her arm out. The letters LVDR appeared above her arm. "One… Two… That's more than one and one."

"But as I said. We're helping Ruby with her objective." Ren said holding up his hand. Showing the letters RVLR (Revolver) "Wouldn't that make her the leader?"

"Guys I should be the last one to need to say this, but we need to focus." Skyler said from a tree above them. "Besides I still think it should be SLVR. (Silver)"

"Skyler I love you, but we both know neither of us should be leaders." Nora said.

"Considering ever order would involve breaking something." Ren said.

The ground began shaking.

"To be fair our mission right now IS to break something." Skyler said.

A few seconds later Ruby jumped off a cliff shooting at a giant rock creature that was following her. The creature fell off the cliff landed with a loud crash but was able to recover quickly. Ruby crashed though multiple tree branched as she descended. Skyler jumped down from the tree and joined Ren and Nora below. The creature began swinging its limbs at the nearby trees.

"Wow really glad I moved." Skyler said.

"Let's move." Ren said.

"See this is why I suggested you be the leader!" Nora said charging in.

(Crimson and Velvet)

"I suppose you're right. Maybe she's helping Yang recuperate after losing her arm." Velvet said.

"I forgot about that… I hope she's doing okay. Losing Xana was hard on Cerise and I, I can only imagine what Yang must be going through." I said.

"Do you think things will ever go back to normal?" She asked.

"We're huntsman and huntresses. This IS normal for us. Bad things happen and we're the ones who have to clean it up at the risk of our own lives. Sometimes things happen we can't control. Like losing the people we care most about." I said.

"Do you ever regret the decision to become a huntsman?" She asked.

"Sometimes, I mean if I hadn't, I'd probably still have my arm. Then again, I'd probably still be the kid who was too scared to even talk to a girl. Plus, I'd have probably died the next time I came across an ursa like I almost did at Beacon. Do you?" I asked.

"It's not that I regret it. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't though." She said.

"I think a lot of people have those thoughts. Unfortunately, we made our decisions so we'll never know what the other outcome would have been. One thing I know for sure is if we hadn't, we wouldn't have met such amazing friends. Yeah, we may have been separated from some of them, but there's always a chance we'll see some of them again." I said.

"You're right. I just hope we can go back to the way things were before the tournament." She said.

"I'm sure they will someday." I said.


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: No fabulous intro this time, but I do have a couple of reviews I want to respond to.**

 **Agfox: I appreciate the feedback. Once this story is finished, I plan to go back and edit the story better and probably make some changes to the earlier parts of the story.**

 **Merendinoemiliano: Thank you so much for your support of this story since the beginning.**

 **On to the new chapter!**

Two weeks passed by on the ship. In that time, we'd made a stop at a village in the southern part of Sanus to stock up on supplies. There wasn't a lot to do on the ship so Neo, Velvet and I did a lot of training on the main deck. I never knew how skilled Neo was in combat, before this the only training I'd done with her was when after I got out of the hospital. It took Velvet and I all we had to beat her. The more we trained Velvet and I seemed to stay pretty equal in skill. Lilly trained a couple times with us if she was bored. She was more content learning about the ship itself and looking around. She ended up coming across a black watercraft that looked to me like a lifeboat. Carmine recognized it as a Zodiac Hurricane. A boat specifically designed for military use. We decided once we got closer to Menagerie Celadon would take us to the island using the smaller boat. Celadon and Carmine gave me some additional weapons training specifically for my sniper rifle.

We were finally able to see the island. Laurel, Lilly, Carmine and I prepared the Zodiac to transport us the rest of the way. Neo and Velvet collected our bags and got in the boat along with Celadon. He started up the boat and we headed off towards the island.

"So, I meant to ask this earlier, but how do you guys plan on getting back to Vacuo once you're ready? With communications limited you won't be able to contact us." Celadon said.

"I figured we'd pay for a ride back to Vale and go from there." I said.

"Why would we go to Vale?" Lilly asked.

"Velvet wanted to make a quick stop before we headed back." I said.

"And when did you plan on telling us?" Lilly asked.

"When we got there." I said.

"You didn't want us to argue. I respect that, but if this is how you lead your team at Beacon it's no surprise they broke up. Aside from Xana of course." Lilly said.

"Actually, I never had to pull stuff like this at Beacon. Back then when I wanted to make a stupid decision I wasn't guarded like a child. They'd just let me do it and reap my own consequences. Just ask Velvet." I said.

"Yeah…" Velvet said.

"What's wrong?" Neo asked.

"Do you really think we've been treating you like a child Crimson?" Velvet asked.

"Not exactly, but you have to admit you, Coco and Cerise have seemed to be a lot more worried and protective of me since I woke up in the hospital. I know you're trying to be good friends and believe me I appreciate it. I didn't choose this life for nothing though. Yeah before Lilly helped me out it seemed like things were looking fairly bleak on me being able to keep trying to be a huntsman. Ever since then my drive has been slowly growing each day." I said.

"So, you make a decision without consulting your team and now your trying to make up with it for praising me by saying I essentially gave you a new life?" Lilly asked.

"I thought you liked the praise?" I asked smiling.

"Oh, believe me I do." Lilly said.

"That reminds me, Neo should probably have a disguise just to be safe." I said.

"You really expect someone there to recognize her with my ears on her?" Lilly asked.

"She's committed how many crimes in the past. There's always a possibility someone could recognize her. If they remember her and know she's wearing a fake ears it could be bad." I said.

"Alright how about this?" Neo said. Her hair changed to become a dark brown and lengthened to halfway down her back. She had a blue tank top on with black pants. She now had pink wristbands on, and the fake ears changed to match her new hair color. Her eyes changed to green.

"That should work." I said.

"This really makes me question what you actually look like." Lilly said.

"Well it's not like I can change my facial features or body size. I can only change my hair clothing and eye color." Neo said.

"I wish I could change my hair at will. It would save me so much money." Velvet said.

"Any style and color without having to pay anything, or hoping the person cutting it doesn't catch your ears." Lilly said.

"I think we're getting a bit off topic here." I said.

"You can't tell me you wouldn't love the idea." Lilly said.

"Eh. I like my hair the way it is." I said.

"We're almost there guys. I'd suggest if you want Neo to have that disguise you might wanna think of a name to go with it." Celadon said.

"Any suggestions Neo?" I asked.

"Carol Church." Neo said.

"Works for me." Lilly said.

"Same." Velvet said.

"Alright Carol Church it is." I said.

"How did you come up with that so quickly?" Velvet asked.

"How do you think I went out in public? I didn't use this outfit, but I used the name as my alias." Neo said.

A couple minutes later we were docking in Menagerie.

"Sate your business human." A deer faunus said.

"Easy. Just dropping off a few friends then I'm out of here." Celadon said.

"Name's and reason for coming here?" The faunus said.

"Crimson Vayr. I came from Shade Academy because I was told my mom was living here. I came to meet her." I said.

"Mai has a kid?" He said.

"Yeah… Long story, but it's the reason I'm here." I said.

"Very well. Next." He said. allowing me past.

"Lilly Draven. We're his teammates. He's accident prone so we insisted on coming with him." Lilly said.

"I am not accident prone." I said.

"Where's your arm?" Lilly said.

"That's… fine." I said giving in.

"Very well. Next." He said.

"Velvet Scarlatina." Velvet said.

"Next." The faunus said.

"Carol Church." Neo said.

"Very well. Enjoy your stay." He said.

"If you don't mind, I have a couple questions first." I said.

"What's up?" He said.

"First off this seems like a lot of security for a place that's supposed to be a haven for faunus. Isn't this a little much?" I asked.

"After the attack on Beacon we had a lot of faunus coming in. With everything else we've had to deal with from the humans we aren't taking any chances." He said.

"I'm guessing you're looking for White Fang members?" I asked.

"No. Why would we do that?" He asked.

I looked at Velvet confused. "Didn't you tell me the White Fang were part of the attack on the school?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure they were." Velvet said.

"I remember seeing them." Neo said.

"Wait, you were all there?" He asked.

"Well mostly these two." I said pointing to Neo and Velvet. "I got injured badly and was sent to Vacuo while the attack happened."

"What happened to you?" He asked.

I pulled up my sleeve showing that my arm was completely metal.

"I see, but the White Fang couldn't possibly have been involved in the attack. They wouldn't have any reason to." He said.

"I suppose your right. Maybe someone was trying to frame them. Anyway, you mentioned my mom's name. Would you happen to know where she lives?" I asked.

"Yeah, Head up the center street and up the steps. From there it'll be the fifth house on the left. Burgundy roof, couple pots of flowers outside." He said.

"Thanks a lot. Come on girls." I said.

We started heading in the directions he'd given us.

"Why did you say someone was trying to frame the White Fang." Neo whispered.

"Because I'm guessing if there is any White Fang here, they are putting up an act. They must be acting how they did before they started getting violent. That or they figure the ones that are here have chosen to give up that life. Either way we probably shouldn't talk about it too much just in case." I whispered.

We made our way to the house and I froze when were in front of it.

"Crimson? Are you okay?" Velvet asked.

"Not in the slightest. I've got so much running through my mind right now it feels like my head is about to explode. I'd honestly rather take on a pack of ursa right now. That's how freaked out I am right now." I said.

"We can wait a bit and come back." Neo said.

"No, delaying it isn't gonna make it any easier." I said.

"We're here for you." Velvet said grabbing my hand.

"Thanks." I said.

"Excuse me. Can I help you?" A woman said. She had light purple hair and a monkey tail. She was wearing a light blue long sleeve shirt and a white skirt. She was carrying a grocery bag. When we turned in her she dropped the bag and put her hands over her mouth. "Crimson… is that you?"

"I'm guessing you're Mai Vayr?" I asked nervously.

"Yes. Thank the gods you're alive" Mom said running over and hugging me. Tears were flowing from her eyes.

"I'm guessing you were watching the Vytal Festival?" I asked as I hugged her back.

"Yes, but more importantly why are you here?" Mom asked.

"I'm looking at her." I said.

She sighed. You sound just like your father. Alright come on in and I'll answer whatever questions you have."

"Here you go Mrs. Vayr." Velvet said handing her the bag she dropped.

"Oh, thank you. I'm guessing these are your friends from school?" Mom asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Well come on in." Mom said.

We walked in and I noticed she had pictures on me and another girl on a wall.

"So, I have to ask. Where are your teammates? I don't remember seeing these two during the tournament." Mom said pointing to Lilly and Neo. "I remember seeing you, but weren't you on another team?"

"About that… There's a lot to unpack. Both on my end and yours." I said.

"I suppose I should start. What did the Quinns end up telling you?" Mom asked.

"Not a lot. They told me yours and dads names. That dad is a human working for the SDC, and you were here. They said that you were both from Mistral and that you told them to give me the fake story." I said.

"I see. Yes, your father and I were both originally from Mistral. We met at collage in Argus. He'd always talk about different ideas for how to use dust. He'd spent half of his time coming up with new inventions all the time. The ones that worked he'd send off to the SDC in hopes of getting hired. I practically had to pull him from his workbench in order to spend any time with him. We'd been dating for about two years when he'd finally gotten a message back from them offering him a job. Unfortunately, this was about a year after Jacques took over. It was apparent very quick that he didn't think of very much of the faunus. We were worried that if the company found out about him dating a faunus he'd been ignored or even fired. So, we decided to separate. When we'd made that decision though we didn't know I was pregnant. When I found out we'd made arrangements to meet up. It wasn't an easy decision and I've regretted it this whole time. Once you and your sister were born…" Mom said before I interrupted her.

"Wait wait wait. Hold up. Sister?" I asked confused.

"Yes. That's her on the wall next to your picture." Mom said pointing to the girl on the wall.

The picture showed a girl with black hair and lavender eyes. She wore a purple dress with a light blue sash around her waist. She had blue arm bands that had purple sleeves attached. She had black pants with light pink and blue boots. She had a quiver on her back and was posed next to a dual bladed axe (one blade being bigger than the other,) that looked like it could transform into a bow.

"She's currently enrolled at Haven Academy, or at least was. I have no clue now since the attack." Mom said.

"Wasn't she in the tournament too?" Velvet asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately, she was eliminated in the first round by a team from Atlas. The same team Crimson's team fought in the second round." Mom said.

"Huh, Revenge and I didn't even know it." I said.

"I don't remember hearing about another student names Vayr though." Velvet said.

"That's because unlike Crimson, Amethyst was actually adopted from her orphanage. She apparently took their name. She's currently going by Amethyst Calaway." Mom said.

"So, we were both sent to orphanages?" I asked.

"Yes… We were so worried that it would get back to the company that he had kids with a faunus, and we didn't know how Jacques would respond. So, we sent you both to orphanages apart from each other. He took your sister to one in a village in the southern part of Mistral while I took you to the one you grew up in. We set everything up the same for you both. You were both told the same story and were intentionally made unaware of the others existence. I'd occasionally check in on the two of you with the orphanages to make sure how you were both doing and give your father updates. Honestly after I watched you get attacked in the tournament, I thought you'd died. Seeing you show up at my home was the last thing I ever expected to happen." Mom said.

"Well I can't say this is something I expected to happen… well ever." I said.

"I have to ask though. How did you manage to date Jacques daughter?" Mom asked.

"You knew about that?" I asked.

"Once I knew you were both going to huntsman academies. I would always check for headlines in both areas to see if your names ever showed up. Then I see a vid of you kissing her after the breach." Mom said.

"Yeah… not my best moment." I said.

"What do you mean?" Mom asked.

"Well Jacques saw the same video and had a lot of choice words for both Weiss and I. Long story short I made a stupid bet with him that if I won the tournament, I'd be allowed to date her, and he had to announce it in a press conference. If I lost, we were never allowed to date, and I had to transfer schools…" I said.

"I'm sorry…" Mom said.

"It's fine. Right now I'm more happy I'm alive and that I found out my parents aren't actually dead, and that I have a sister." I said.

"So… you're not upset with what your father and I did…" Mom asked.

"I can't say I'm particularly happy with it. However, after talking with that prick first hand I don't blame you." I said.

"Thank you… I'm so sorry we put you though all that…" Mom said with tears forming in her eyes again.

"It's alright mom. Hell, even if I had known you, I'm sure most of the stuff that happened to me would still have happened." I said.

"Which reminds me. Where did you get that arm, and where is the rest of your team? I know two of them are humans, but I figured you'd at least have the dove girl with you." Mom asked.

"Right… After the incident in the tournament, I was sent to a hospital in Vacuo. During the attack… Xana was killed. Cerise and Skyler got into a fight and ended up going their separate ways. Since she's a human we switched her out for a Velvet since my friends wouldn't let me come alone. Carol and Lilly were added to my team when we enrolled in Shade Academy. Lilly made me my new arm, so she came along to make sure it continued working properly. Carol had her own reasons for coming." I said.

"I'm so sorry… It's nice to meet you all though. If he's too much like his father I hope he hasn't been too much trouble on you all." Mom said.

"Not at all Mrs. Vayr." Velvet said.

"It's actually just Ms. Vayr or Mai. Shuiro and I never ended up getting married due to the circumstances." Mom said.

"I'm sorry…" Velvet said.

"It's alright. We still keep… kept in touch. That's enough about that though. I'm still interested in how you managed to date Weiss." Mom said.

"It's nothing extravagant really. We ended up on the same team originally since I started at Beacon late. We slowly started getting closer until we started dating after the dance." I said.

"Aww. That's so cute. So, since you're not allowed to be with Weiss now are you dating one of these girls?" Mom asked. '

"N-no." I said.

"Yeah he's not my type. Like I said I came to make sure he didn't mess up my invention." Lilly said.

"I… had feelings for him at one point, but I have someone who means so much more to me. I'm hoping I'll be able to see her again when we go back." Velvet said.

"My last… relationship… didn't end well. I'm not ready to try dating again." Neo said.

"I'm sorry dear." Mom said.

"It's alright Crimson's been helping me recover from it." Neo said.

"Well it's getting late. How about we head to the market and pick a few more things up and I'll make a welcome feast for you all?" Mom asked.

"That's alright Ms. Vayr, you don't have to do that." Neo said.

"I insist; besides I can imagine it's been a while since some of you had an actual home cooked meal." Mom said.

"I mean you're not wrong. Between the school food for over a year, the hospital food and those MRE things Carmine made us eat I don't think I've had anything home cooked since I left Charles and Maggie's." I said.

"Then it's settled. So, what would you kids like?" Mom asked.

We talked (argued) over what we wanted to eat for a while until we went with Mom to get the ingredients. We came back and Velvet insisted on helping Mom cook. Mom told us we could set up anywhere we felt comfortable and apologized that she only had one guest room. We told her how it was no problem since we were all used to sleeping on one room together in the dorms. Mom asked how long we planned on staying and I told her if everyone was okay with it, we'd like to stay for at least a couple weeks. She was okay with it as was everyone else. The next day she showed us around the island and introduced us to a few of her friends. We spent the next couple days talking and I was able to learn little bit more about my parents past together.

The next day there was a knock on the door early in the morning. I was the only one awake, so I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked opening the door. On the other side was a female wolf faunus dressed in a guard's outfit.

"Is this Mai Vayr's house?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm her son is there something I can help you with?" I asked.

"Mai has a son? Anyway, let her know Ghira is calling a meeting for all the faunus on Menagerie at eleven." She said.

"I will but one question first. I've only been on the island for a couple days so who's Ghira?" I asked.

"He's our chieftain. Basically, our leader." She said.

"Oh, well that's good to know. I'll make sure we're there." I said. The girl turned and started walking away.

I went around and started waking everyone up. Letting them know about the meeting. Mom took us to Ghira's home where the meeting was being held. We stood around until he came out and stood at the podium.

"Is that… Blake and Sun?" I asked.

"I think it is." Velvet said. '

"Why would they be here?" I asked.

"Ms. Vayr what's is Ghira's last name?" Velvet asked.

"Belladonna why?" Mom asked.

"That explains it." I said.

"She must have come home after the attack." Velvet said.

"And knowing Sun he probably followed her without her knowing." I said.

"Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe that it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus... the leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang, was partially responsible for these attacks. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization originally created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. With each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us. Recently, a spy from the same splinter group set their sights on this very home. My own daughter, Blake, and her friend did their very best to apprehend this individual. While they were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted and seriously injured, they were successful in obtaining the assailant's Scroll. With this, we have been able to ascertain that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take over the reins himself." Ghira said.

"Someone attacked Blake and Sun here?" I asked.

"And you didn't wanna bring backup. You really should have saw something like this coming with your record." Lilly said.

"His radical plans do not stop there, the documents on this scroll proclaim his next target to be Haven Academy and its attached CCT Tower." Ghira said.

"Amy…" Mom said.

"You've gotta be kidding me." I said.

"Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the Fall semester, roughly two months from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral, but I believe we have a greater responsibility. My relationship with the White Fang has been... an interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal, it was made clear to me that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results. So I stepped down, and Sienna Khan was appointed as my successor. It's true that I do not fully condone many of her methods. What I do condone is what Sienna fights for: the idea that the Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal. Adam Taurus does not seem to have that goal in mind. What he has done benefits no one but himself. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time that we snuff out this splinter group and restore the White Fang to what it once was!" Ghira yelled. The crowd roared in agreement. "To do this, I think the answer is clear, we must go to Haven and protect it at all costs!" The crowd's reaction fades out. "Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story. Not only as a former member of the White Fang but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon."

Blake walked up to the podium and looked up at her father for assurance. Before she could start a female voice yelled out.

"Traitor! Cowards... After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you're asking us to help them?!" The girl said.

"I know we haven't been treated fairly..." Ghira started to say.

"Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people like slaves?! Where was their help when Kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they are?! Where was my help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine?! Where?!" The girl yelled.

"Young lady, progress takes patience and cooperation!" Ghira said.

"The Belladonnas are the worse kind of Faunus! They want us to work with the same people that are trying to hold us down! If you truly, truly want to help your people now is the time to support Adam, not the Belladonnas! He will bring about the future that you deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, know that the White Fang will do it for you!" The girl yelled.

"Shut up!" Sun yelled jumping at the girl.

The girl used a whip to escape from sun.

"After her!" A guard yelled out.

The crowd started to fade out.

"Alright come on." Lily said.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"They just said the White Fang was preparing to attack Haven Academy. Your sister is attending that school. It's not hard to figure out we're not going back to Shade any time soon." Lilly said.

"Believe me I'd love to go help… but I've dragged you guys around enough. I can't ask you to do this. If anything, I'm going myself." I said.

"No, you're not. I'm coming with you." Neo said.

"I've come this far. Besides they could probably use my technical expertise." Lilly said.

I looked at Velvet. "If you wanna go to Patch we'll go there."

"People's lives are at stake. I've waited this long to see Ruby. I can go a little longer." Velvet said.

"Are you sure?" I asked. Velvet nodded. "Alright let's go sign up for war." I said.

We walked up to the house as the group was about to walk inside.

"Excuse me Ms. Belladonna, four volunteers for war at your service." I said.

"Crimson? Velvet? What are you guys doing here?!" Blake said running back down the steps followed by Sun.

"Good to see you guys too." I said.

"Dude we though you died after the tournament." Sun said.

"Nope just got a shiny new arm." I said.

"Blake you know these four?" Ghira asked.

"Well… two of them. I'm not sure who the others are exactly." Blake said.

"Crimson Vayr sir. I was on your daughter's team for a short time at Beacon. I was one of the victims of the Fall of Beacon." I said showing my arm.

"Crimson… I'm… I'm so sorry about Xana…" Blake said.

"It's not your fault. He was protecting you and Yang." I said.

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have been in that situation. Adam wouldn't have killed him if it wasn't for me…" Blake said.

"Blake I'm not blaming you. I don't know who Adam is, but he's the one responsible for Xana's death." I said.

"Maybe we should continue this inside. Mai you're welcome to come as well." A woman about Blake's height said.

"Yes mam." Mom said.

We walked in and were taken to the living room. Mom and the other woman headed to the kitchen while the rest of us sat down.

"How about we finish with introductions." Ghira said.

"These are my teammates at Shade Academy sir. Velvet Scarlatina, Carol Church, and Lillian Draven. After the Attack on Haven I was sent to a hospital in Vacuo after there was suspicion of an assassination attempt." I said.

"That explains the new team and why no one knew what happened to you." Sun said.

"But Jaune was the one who attacked you. How could it have been an assassination?" Blake asked.

"Do you remember Emerald?" I asked.

"Yeah I think so. She was teammates with Mercury, right?" Blake asked.

"Yeah well turns out her semblance is creating illusions. So, we're guessing Jaune saw an illusion of me about to attack him, so he swung in defense." I said.

"We?" Blake asked.

"The new headmaster at Shade Academy is an ex mercenary. He's got a contact that gave us the information." I said.

"So, wait if you were at Shade Academy. What are you doing here?" Sun asked.

"And why is Velvet with you. Isn't she part of team CFVY?" Blake asked.

"Long story short. My parents aren't dead. One of them lives here. Came to get some answers. They wouldn't let me come alone. Velvet came as a sub for Cerise. Lilly made my arm so she came to make sure it would keep working properly, and Carol essentially became my bodyguard." I said.

"Bodyguard?" Blake asked.

"Long complicated story." I said.

"Yeah we came to visit his mom. Come to find out he's also got a sister. She happens to go to Haven. We were going to head back in about a month, but this seems more important." Lilly said.

"I don't get why they'd attack Haven Academy though. What would the White Fang gain from it?" Velvet asked.

"My guess is there is probably someone behind the scenes pulling the strings. There must be an ulterior motive. It wouldn't make sense to go and attack school after school." Neo said.

"But what would it be? From what I understood from the attack. The goal was to fuck over Atlas's military and an attack on Ozpin. What else could there be?" I asked.

"Wait so Ozpin is…" Blake started.

"Yeah… He's dead." I said.

"What the hell is going on?" Sun asked.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing we'll get some answers if we go to Haven." I said.

"I like your enthusiasm young man but were gonna need more than four huntsmen in training." Ghira said.

"So, we'll get more. I can't imagine it being that hard to get people to help out." I said.

"You heard the crowd go silent too right? I don't mean to put a damper on this, but they didn't seem to keen on helping." Lilly said.

"She's got a point." Blake said.

Well we never know until we try." I said.

"I see that optimism hasn't changed." Blake said.

"It hasn't been easy." I said.

"By the way what happened to the rest of your old team?" Sun asked.

"Skyler and Cerise got into a fight. Cerise came with me. I'm not sure where Skyler is now. I know she stayed with Nora and Ren. Since we knew humans weren't allowed here Coco and I swapped her for Velvet." I said.

"I'm kinda surprised you went with your team instead of staying with Ruby." Blake said.

"It… wasn't an easy decision." Velvet said.

"Speaking of things that won't be easy. We should probably get some rest. If we're gonna try convincing people to help out it'll probably make for a long day." Neo said.

"She's right." Ghira said.

"Then I guess we'll call it a night. If it's alright with you we'll meet back up here in the morning." I said.

"Sounds good to me." Sun said.

"I'm pretty sure he was talking to Mr. Belladonna." Velvet said.

"Oh, right." Sun said.

Ghira let out an annoyed sigh. "It's fine by me."

"Thank you." I said.

"We should probably head out then." Lily said.

"It was nice meeting you sir." I said standing up and bowing.

Ghira smiled and nodded. we walked out the door and started heading down the steps. I stopped about halfway before looking back at the house.

"Crimson?" Neo asked.

"You guys head on without me I'll catch up." I said.

They continued walking as I walked back up the steps, and knocked on the door. Ghira answered.

"Is there something else I can help you with?" Ghira said.

"I was hoping to talk to Blake for a bit. If that's alright." I said.

Ghira nodded. "Blake!"

A few seconds later Blake appeared at the door. "Is everything alright?"

"I just wanted to catch up a bit. It's been a while." I said.

"Sure…" Blake said.

She stepped out the door and closed it behind her. We sat down on the steps.

"So, I hear a lot of shit has gone down since the tournament." I said.

"Yeah…" Blake said.

"I meant what I said before. I don't blame you for what happened to Xana." I said.

"How… Adam wanted me. He's been obsessed with me ever since I left the White Fang." Blake said.

"He'd have done the same no matter who it was. He fought so you and Yang could still be here. There's no point drowning yourself in sorrow. Besides, if anyone should be doing that it's me. He's gone because of me. He should have gone on in the tournament. I was being selfish. If he'd have gone on I wouldn't have been targeted. Then maybe I'd have been able to help him fight Adam off." I said.

"And if you'd both died? Then what? It would have been a pointless sacrifice." Blake said.

"Maybe you're right. But we'll never know. We don't know what outcome our actions will have until it's too late. You had no way of knowing any of this would happen and neither did he. We can't dwell on the past. We need to look towards the future." I said.

"It's not that simple." Blake said.

"Trust me I know. Losing friends. Losing my arm… Losing Weiss." I said.

"I'm sorry." Blake said.

"Well after we save Haven, I told Velvet I'd try to get her to Patch to see Ruby. After that maybe I'll head up to Atlas to try finding her." I said.

"Is that even going to be possible?" Blake said.

"Well in all fairness her dad only said I had to transfer schools. He didn't say I couldn't enroll in Atlas. If she's still up there we might find each other again." I said.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Well with how much of a bastard her dad is, I could see him forcing her to give on being a huntress. So, she may not have enrolled there." I said.

"I suppose. I'm kinda surprised you're so determined to be with her still." Blake said.

"I think most people are. Before I left Cerise told me she liked me. I think most of that was just because of the backlash from the fall. I could tell something was off about her when I woke up in the hospital. She showed a lot more emotion than normal. Velvet admitted she had feelings for me too. Although I'm not proud of it we ended up kissing. I debated on being with Velvet but decided I couldn't live with myself if I ever saw Ruby again. Velvet had some time to think it over and realized she wanted Ruby more than me. I don't care if she doesn't wanna see me anymore. I don't care if she's moved on. I just wanna see her one more time and at least get some closure." I said.

"I was pissed when I found out Sun had followed me. While he hasn't made things easy, I am glad he came. By the way try not to mention anything about us being together." Blake said.

"Yeah I get the feeling your dad doesn't like him." I said.

"Well he didn't exactly give off the best first impression." She said.

"Hey, it couldn't have been worse than when I first met Weiss's dad. I didn't even have to say anything. I had a tail and bam instant hatred." I said.

Blake chuckled a bit. "Yeah but I doubt you told him 'your daughter has some moves.'"

"Seriously. He said that?" I said laughing.

"Yeah then he did a terrible job of trying to explain what he'd meant." Blake said laughing.

Once the laughter died down, we sat in silence for a bit.

"I hope everyone else is doing alright." I said.

"I'm guessing Cerise told you about Pyrrha." Blake said.

"Yeah… To make matters worse. Jaune has joined up with Cinder." I said.

"What? He wouldn't do that. I know you two had your problems, but there is no way he'd do that." Blake said.

"I know it's hard to hear. I didn't wanna believe it at first either." I said. I pulled out my scroll and showed her the picture of Jaune shaking Cinder's hand.

"This doesn't make any sense. How did you get this anyway?" She asked.

"Like I said, Shade's got an informant that got us the information." I said.

"I can't believe it." Blake said.

"This means there is a chance we'll have to fight him when we go to Haven. I figured you should know just in case." I said.

"But he's our friend we can't fight him." Blake said.

"We thought Emerald and Mercury were our friends too. People aren't always what they seem." I said.

"You say that like he was evil from the start." Blake said.

"No, not from the start. You know as well as I do the day I fought Cardin he started changing. He wasn't the goof that wouldn't stand up for himself. He started acting more like a jerk. Maybe that was just towards me." I said.

"That still doesn't mean he was evil." Blake said.

"I'm not saying he was. I'm saying something sparked inside him. Cinder took that dark spark and used it to her advantage. She manipulated him." I said.

"She's the reason Adam aligned with Torchwick and attacked the school." Blake said.

"I'm guessing so. I don't know what's waiting for us when we get to Haven, but we need to be ready for anything. All I know for sure is we won't have to deal with Torchwick anymore." I said.

"Let me guess. Shade's informant?" Blake asked.

"Yep." I said.

"This informant seems to have way too much convenient information. How positive are you that he can be trusted?" Blake asked.

"I trust them. It's difficult to explain, but I don't see a reason not to." I said.

"So, you don't think any of it could be fake to lead us into a trap?" Blake asked.

"To be fair, any of the information on the scroll your dad was showing off could be the same way. It's almost better to take what we can get and hope for the best." I said.

"I guess…" Blake said.

"We should probably get some rest. Might be a long day tomorrow." I said.

"Yeah I suppose you're right." Blake said.

We stood up and hugged before I started heading down the steps.

"By the way, it's good to see you and Sun again." I said.

"Yeah. It was a relief to know we only lost two friends." Blake said.

"Goodnight." I said.

"Night." Blake said.

I headed back to mom's house. When I got back, She and Neo were sitting in the living room.

"Welcome back." Mom said.

"Where are Lilly and Velvet?" I asked.

"They went to bed shortly after we got back." Neo said.

"Alright, so why are you still up?" I asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you came back okay." Neo said.

"I'm fine I only had to fight off five White Fang members." I said.

"What?" Neo said standing up.

"Relax I was kidding. Blake and I just caught up a bit. Nothing happened." I said.

"Don't worry me like that." Neo said.

"I still can't believe part of the White Fang was involved in the attack on Beacon. Now they're targeting Haven Academy." Mom said.

"Not if we have anything to say about it. Right Neo?" I said.

Neo's face turned to one of shock. 'Shit' I thought.

"Neo? I'm guessing that's a nickname?" Mom asked.

"Oh, yeah. Back at Shade she'd eat Neapolitan ice cream all the time. So, I ended up giving her that nickname. She doesn't really like when I call her that though." I said with my hand behind my head. Quickly followed by a slap to the back of my head.

"I can't believe you'd use that name here. Can't you ever give me a break?" Neo said.

"You like it and you know it." I said.

"Ugg you can be impossible." Neo said.

"Yeah, anyway you didn't answer my question." I said.

Neo sighed. "He's right. We're not gonna let them do the same to Haven without a fight."

"I know you guys are huntsman, just please be okay." Mom said.

"We'll be fine." I said.

"We should probably get some sleep." Neo said.

"Yeah, You're right." I said.

"Goodnight Ms. Vayr." Neo said.

"Goodnight kids." Mom said.

We headed off to our room. After we shut the door Neo laid down on her makeshift bed.

"That was close." Neo said.

"Yeah… sorry about that." I said.

"It's fine just try to be more careful." Neo said.

We passed out shortly after. The next morning, we woke up early and headed right over to Blake's. We waited outside until Blake and Sun came out.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Blake asked.

"I beat up on giant monsters and robots more than once, I think I can handle getting a few signatures." Sun said.

"When did you beat up giant robots?" I asked.

"Well there was the time Blake and I infiltrated a White Fang recruitment meeting. Torchwick discovered us and came after us in a mech he stole. There's also the ones that got reprogramed in the attack on Beacon." Sun said.

"Okay I know I was incapacitated during the attack, but I don't remember you two getting attacked by Torchwick." I said.

"That's cause Sun and Neptune got taken out and Yang, Ruby, Weiss and I had to finish it off. While they went off and got food. This was when you were back at beacon preparing to not get kicked out." Blake said.

"I think I vaguely remember Weiss and Ruby telling me about that. I thought she was talking about the time at the docks." I said.

"Anyway, we should get going." Blake said.

"Right." I said.

The six of us separated into town to start. Over the next month and a half, we continually tried to convince people to join our cause. With most of them turning us down. With about two weeks remaining some of us were starting to lose hope. One day while we were out Blake, Sun, Neo and I took a break while Lilly and Velvet headed back to mom's house.

"Did anyone have any luck?" Neo asked.

"I thought I had one. Then I looked and saw he'd put No Way Jose down." I said.

"What kind of name is that?" Sun asked.

"It's not a name Sun. He was being an asshole." Blake said.

"So, I'm guessing you guys had just as much luck?" I asked.

"I got nothing." Neo said.

"Same…" Blake said.

Sun slammed his cup down in anger "I don't get it! How can they just sit around and do nothing with the White Fang getting ready to attack?"

"Because not everyone is like us. The faunus here in Menagerie, the ones that weren't born on the island, moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone, and here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves." Blake said.

"I guess I never really thought about it like that." Sun said.

"The problem is, whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere." Blake said.

"So, I've been meaning to ask. This Adam person has been brought up a lot lately. All I know about him is that he's the one who killed Xana. Care to fill me in a bit?" I asked.

"Adam is… was, my former partner. Back when I was still with the White Fang." Blake said before pausing. "Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, 'They are the personification of this word.'" Blake said.

"Uh." Sun said.

"Okay, well, I remember getting to know Ruby and thinking, 'This girl is the embodiment of 'purity'. After a while, I saw Weiss was 'defiance'. And Yang was 'strength'.

"What am I?" sun asked.

"Jury's still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards 'earnest'." Blake said smiling.

Sun grabbed his drink with his tail and held it up to his mouth before taking a drink.

"How about me? We did used to be teammates after all." I said.

"I'd say… Optimism. As far as you Carol. I really can't say since I don't know a lot about you." Blake said.

"That's fair." Neo said.

"I'm not so sure I fit that word quite as much anymore." I said.

"Considering what you've been though, and the fact that you're still going I'd say it does." Neo said.

"Thanks." I said with a weak smile.

"At first I thought Adam was 'justice', then I thought he was 'passion'. But over time, I realized I was wrong. He wasn't any of those things. He was 'spite'. Not 'hatred', not 'rage', 'spite'. He won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him, and his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. That's what worries me about Ilia. She's not like Adam, not yet at least, but I don't know how long that will last." Blake said taking a more depressed tone.

"She was your friend, huh?" Sun asked.

"She was. Her chameleon traits meant she could pass as human. She could've lived a normal life if she wanted, but she didn't. I always admired that. She lost her family in a mining accident when she was young, then she joined the White Fang. Like me, she was more or less trained on the road alongside other Faunus. She learned to survive, to defend herself, but as people like Sienna and Adam started to gain a following, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too. My parents tried to get me to leave with them, but I refused. I had Adam and Ilia, after all."

"You know we're gonna have to face her eventually." Sun asked.

"I know." Blake said.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Sun asked.

"I'm going to try and help her the way you helped me." Blake said. Which surprised Sun. "You showed me that sometimes you need to be there for a friend even when they don't want you to be. I was drowning in guilt and fear, I tried to push you away, but you didn't give up on me. And I can't give up on Ilia. It's about time I saved my friends for once."

"So, I'm gonna go ahead and guess Ilia is the one who freaked out at the meeting yesterday?" I asked.

"Yeah…" She said.

"We should probably check in and see if Lilly or Velvet had any luck. I hate to say it, but if they didn't, we may have to give in and try again tonight." I said.

"I guess." Blake said.

I messaged the two and asked if they had any luck. Unfortunately, they had both come up short as well. Blake and Sun headed back to her house while the rest of us headed back to my mom's house. I had the four of us meet up in the bedroom to make a plan while mom was making dinner.

"I'm gonna go out with Blake and Sun to try again later. Lilly and Velvet, I want you guys to stay here, but keep your scrolls on just in case. After what Blake told us I don't feel like it's a good idea to leave mom alone though. Neo, I want you to stay here no matter what and make sure nothing happens to her." I said.

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with?" Neo asked.

"You're the strongest among the four of us. I want you here. If something happens, I'll call for Lilly and Velvet. No one has attacked us so far so I can't imagine anything happening. Never hurts to be careful though." I said.

"Shouldn't at least one of us be out there with you?" Velvet asked.

"I'll be with Sun and Blake. I'll be fine. I don't plan on going unarmed." I said holding up my two guns. I collapsed them and placed them on my back. "Just to be safe Neo hold on to my rifle. I know you don't have a lot of experience with one, but in case things get bad this way you can still use the sword without drawing attention to yourself with your umbrella. I don't wanna imagine what could happen if Blake saw that while we're here." I said.

"Alright." Neo said.

"Should you really be calling her that?" Velvet whispered.

"Yeah, I already dropped the ball on that. Mom just thinks it's a nickname." I said.

"You dumbass." Lilly said.

"Yeah I know." I said.

After dinner I went to meet with Blake and Sun. I knocked on the door and Blake's mom answered the door.

"Oh, Crimson right? What brings you here this late?" She asked.

"Blake didn't tell you? We're going out recruiting again tonight." I said.

"Oh, I wasn't aware you were going with them. Please come in." She said.

"Thank you." I said with a slight bow.

"Kali, who is it?" Ghira asked coming around the corner.

"It's just Crimson, He's going out with Blake and Sun tonight." Kali said.

"Good to see you again sir." I said bowing again.

"You certainly are a nice change of pace compared to that other friend of our daughters." Ghira said.

"Ghira!" Kali scolded.

"I know he seems rough, but he is a good guy. Maybe a bit too carefree." I said.

"If you say so. Blake should be in the living room." Ghira said.

I walked in as Blake was coming back inside looking distracted.

"Hey, did I miss something?" I asked.

"No, I was just telling Sun that I'll meet up with you guys later. I need to take care of something first." Blake said.

"I know it's been a while, but I know code for 'potentially bad situation' when I see it." I said.

"What's up?" Sun asked.

Blake held her right arm. She looked like she wanted to tell us but was hesitant.

"Well guess we have no choice, but to come with you right Sun?" I asked.

"Huh?" Sun asked.

"We can't just let her go into a possibly bad situation without backup. Guess we'll just have to tag along." I said with my hand behind my head.

"He's right. Can't have anything bad happening to you." Sun said mimicking my pose.

Blake sighed. "You can both be a pain. I need to do this on my own. Blake said before closing the door she came out of. She put a finger to her mouth and motioned us to another room.

"I just found this outside." Blake said handing a note to Sun.

"Think she's serious?" Sun asked.

"I want to believe she is…" Blake said.

"But?" I asked.

"With everything that's happened I'm not sure." Blake said.

"We'll come with just in case." Sun said.

"She asked me to come alone." Blake said.

"So, we'll follow from behind. As long as we don't follow directly behind you, she shouldn't notice us." I said.

"I don't know…" Blake said.

"If she's telling the truth we have nothing to worry about. If not we'll be there to back you up." Sun said.

Blake paused for a bit. "Alright. Stay back and wait. If it's a trap wait for my signal."

Sun and I both nodded. We walked out the door and towards the village. Blake separated from us and headed towards an ally. Sun and I walked in a separate direction. We waited a couple minutes and started heading back towards the direction Blake went. When we caught up we hid behind one of the nearby buildings. Blake had her weapon drawn and ready.

"Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe." Blake said.

"I'm sorry." Ilia said.

"You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec." Blake said.

"No. I'm sorry." Ilia said. She balled one of her hands to a fist.

Footsteps could be heard on one of the buildings above us. Sun took out his staff. I held my hand out signaling him to hold back. A bat faunus jumped on Blake sending her to the ground. A spider faunus shot a web out to capture Blake. Sun tried to go out to help her.

"Wait for Blake's signal." I whispered.

"Are you serious? She's in trouble." Sun whispered back.

"And if we wait, we can probably get some information. Until then we wait. Let's go up top to get a better view." I said.

Sun nodded and replaced his weapon. The two of us quietly made our way to the roof of the building we were hiding behind while listening in.

"Ilia! What are you doing?" Blake asked.

"I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry." Ilia said.

"Don't tell me you're sorry!" Blake yelled.

"But I am. I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the faunus back." Ilia said.

"Because we're trying to protect people? In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?" Blake asked.

"The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There's the humans that still hate the faunus, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people. But I'll tell you this it's gotten us results." Ilia said pointing her weapon at Blake.

"Yeah, look where it's gotten you." Blake said.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts." Ilia said.

"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?" Blake asked.

"No, but getting rid of your family is." Ilia said.

"No." I whispered.

"We need to move. We need to go help them." Sun whispered.

"No. We'll stay here. I had Velvet and Lilly stay back in case something happened. I'll message them to head over. We need to wait and see what these guys are planning." I whispered as I started typing out the message to Velvet.

"That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam." Ilia said.

Sun was about to head down, but I held him back.

"Ilia, please! You don't have to do this. This isn't you!" Blake said struggling.

"Yes. It. Is! But I guess back then you were just too busy falling for Adam to notice." Ilia said.

Sun and I looked at each other in confusion.

"I was always jealous of the way you looked at him. I wanted you to look at me that way. But we can't always get what we want! Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks." Ilia said.

Ilia and Yuma take off. Leaving Blake with the other two.

"Let's go, traitor." The spider faunus said.

"Now!" Blake yelled.

Sun and I jumped down pulling out our weapons. Sun jumped on one of them and I threw one of my swords at the line holding Blake. The spider faunus pulled out a knife but I shot it out of her hand. Allowing Sun to knock her out with his staff.

"Thanks for the backup." Blake said.

"Thanks for the invitation. You okay?" Sun asked.

Blake picked up her weapon and placed it on her back. "No. You heard Ilia, my family is in danger. Call the police and let's go!"

"Right!" Sun said.

"I've sent Velvet and Lilly to your home. Hopefully they arrived in time." I said as we started running towards her home.

"Thanks." Blake said pulling out her scroll.

I pulled mine out as well and called Neo.

"What's going on?" Neo asked.

"The White Fang are going after Blake's parents. Please tell me mom is okay and that Vel and Lilly are already on there way." I said.

"Your mom's fine and they left as soon as you messaged them. Are you sure you won't need me?" Neo asked.

"Mom isn't answering." Blake said.

"No, I know it's not what you wanna hear, but I need you to stick to the plan Neo. If they come after her you're the best line of protection she's got." I said.

"Alright. I'll do my best. Be safe." Neo said.

"Same. I'll call you as soon as I can." I said ending the call. "Neo said Velvet and Lilly should be there by now or at least close."

"Neo?" Blake asked angrily.

"Shit. I'll explain later." I said.

"Why is Torchwick's pink haired bitch here? How did she even manage to get on the island?" Blake asked.

"It's a long story I'll explain in detail later. Short version she was placed on my team and she wants to redeem herself. Carol is her disguise, Lilly made a fake pair of ears so she could come with. I swear she's not evil anymore." I said.

"She'd better not be part of this Crimson. You've made a lot of stupid decisions, but this has to be the dumbest thing you've ever done. How could you bring a criminal like her here?" Blake asked.

"I told you she's not like that anymore. I trust her." I said.

"She tried to kill Yang! How can you trust someone who tried to kill your friend!" Blake yelled.

"She tried to kill me too. I told you I'd explain later. We need to focus on helping your parents." I said.

"He's right Blake. Let's focus on this first we'll worry about her later." Sun said.

"Fine." Blake said.

We made it to the house and the three of us separated. I saw the Yuma on the roof and headed after him. As soon as I made it to the roof, he rose up and crashed through. I ran after him and jumped down the hole he made with both my swords drawn. When I landed he was on the ground knocked out and Kali was holding a tea tray. Velvet came out from behind a pillar and took a picture of my weapons.

"Is that really necessary right now?" I asked.

"I had to use them during that fight." Velvet said.

"I'll deal with that later. Mrs. Belladonna are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Where are Blake and Sun?" Kali asked.

"They went a different direction. Where is your husband?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." Kali said.

"Velvet, where's Lilly?" I asked.

"We split up. She should be on the other end of the house." Velvet said.

"I'm gonna go look for her. You two stay here." I said.

"Be careful." Velvet said.

I ran towards the opposite end of the house. I came to a hallway with two White Fang members at the end. I switched to my guns and fired at both of them. They hid behind the walls and fired back at me. I hid behind a shelf and loaded ice rounds into my weapons. I fired at both sides of the hallway until a sheet of ice was blocking them from getting to me. I swapped out for gravity rounds and switched to my swords. I ran towards the wall of ice dragging my swords on the ground activating the dust in them. On the other side the two White Fang members were hitting the ice trying to break though. I charged at the wall and slammed by swords into it as hard as possible. The wall shattered and sent the two White Fang members to the ground. I switched back to my guns and shot their weapons away from them. They tried to charge at me, but I jumped backwards to dodge them. I flipped my guns around, so I was holding the barrels. I jumped towards them and hit them both across the face with the ends of my guns.

I continued on and slammed into a dark room. I could see Blake standing in the center holding her gun. She turned her attention to me. A small yellow light shot towards Blake knocking her back. Blake recovered and readied herself again. She began firing into the darkness. I ducked behind a couch and switched to electricity and ice rounds.

"Why couldn't you just leave?" Ilia asked.

"Because I run away too much." Blake said switching to her katana.

Ilia lashed towards Blake from the above balcony. Blake dodged behind a desk. She loaded some dust rounds into her gun and aimed at the ceiling. "Sorry dad." Blake fired and the top floor became engulfed in flames.

I switched one of my guns to its sword mode and came out from where I was hiding at the same time as Ilia. We both charged towards Blake. Blake and I started trading blows with Ilia. She managed to hit me in my left arm and sent me back. I ended up dropping my sword as my arm tensed up and froze. I fired rounds toward Ilia at the same time Blake did.

"Quit taking potshots and fight me like you mean it!" Ilia yelled sending another lash towards Blake.

Blake dodged and jumped to the balcony above. I ducked behind a desk and took my jacket off and started trying to get my arm to work again.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left... is to attack back!" Ilia said.

"Fuck that!" I yelled. I activated the ice dust and started firing at Ilia. She dodged each shot leaving a trail of ice in front of her. "You think what you're doing is right just because that twisted son-of-a-bitch says so? Use your head, How is killing humans gonna make us equals? How does that make us any better than them? The only thing it'll do is make us look like the monsters they already think we are! Fear and death won't solve anything!" I yelled.

"Who the hell are you to talk? You act as though humans haven't done anything to cause you pain! That they haven't done anything to make you suffer!" Ilia yelled.

"You're wrong. I suffered nothing, but poor treatment growing up. I lived in an orphanage where I was the only faunus child. Never got adopted. Bullied and harassed constantly by the other kids. I put up with it for years." I said. I came out from behind the desk and formed a shield with my arm. "I have a permanent reminder of what they are capable of every time I look in the mirror." I held my other gun with my tail and hid it behind my shield ready to fire. "Senseless murder isn't going solve anything. It's not to late to stop this. Humanity as a whole isn't to blame. People like Adam are too blind to see that. That's why Blake left. She could see that this wasn't the way to get what the faunus have wanted for years. Yes, there are humans that do nothing, but discriminate against us. They have a right to when we have people like Adam who…"

"Shut up! This is the only way!" Ilia yelled.

She lashed towards me. I shifted the shield to catch her whip. Electricity started running though my body. I fired at her whip until it froze. I dropped to the ground trying to collect myself from the pain.

Blake jumped down from the balcony and pinned Ilia to the ground.

"You're wrong, there's always another choice." Blake said as Ilia struggled to break free from her. "Ilia... please. You're a good person but you're making all the wrong decisions!"

"Shut up!" Ilia yelled

"Is this really what your parents would've wanted?" Blake asked.

"I don't know what else to do!" Ilia yelled. She stopped struggling and started crying. "I don't know what else to do..."

I slowly started standing up supporting myself with the desk next to me. A body comes crashing though the wall as it's owners weapon slides across the room. Ghira lunged into the room after him.

"Blake!" Ghira yelled.

Before he could do anything else, he was stabbed in the back from behind.

"Dad!" Blake yelled. Ilia used the distraction to break free from Blakes hold. Sending her into a chair with a kick.

Ghira grabbed the man who'd stabbed him and threw him at the man who'd crashed though the wall who easily dodged and continued towards Ghira. Ghira pulled the dagger from his back and tossed it aside. The two faunus began trading punches that collided with each other.

I tried to walk forward but fell to my knees after one step. I looked up and saw Ilia standing in the center of the room watching on.

"Ilia! What are you doing? Fight!" The hooded faunus shouted. He revealed a dagger and charged at Ghira.

Ghira started fighting the two on his own.

"Ilia! Do the right thing!" I yelled out. Ilia looked back at me. I could see the fear in her eyes unsure of what to do.

The hooded faunus took a stance as he readied to charge at Ghira.

"No, you don't." I said holding up my gun. I fired ice rounds at him. The rounds froze his foot to the grounds. Ghira landed a huge right hand to the other faunus sending him back.

"Brother!" The hooded faunus yelled. He managed to break free and charged at Ghira. He was sent back with a dropkick from Sun. Sun looked towards Ilia with anger in his eyes.

"Go help Blake." Ghira said.

"On it." Sun said running after Ilia. The two traded blows until Sun pinned her against a pillar.

The hooded faunus turned his attention to me as his brother continued fighting Ghira. He ran towards me with his dagger. I pulled back my left arm and punched him as hard as I could. Sending him flying back though the hole Sun had come from. I collapsed face first to the ground afterward.

"I have to admit. You may be a dumbass, but you sure as hell don't give up when it comes to a fight do you?" Lilly said. I could feel metal claws grab my arms and slowly pick me up. She propped me up against the desk I'd been using for cover.

"Thanks. You could have come in a little sooner." I said.

"I was making sure the ones we fought weren't gonna get away. Besides you should know by now I'm not as big on fighting." Lilly said.

"Stop!" Blake yelled. I looked up to see Sun pushing Ilia back hard enough it was cracking the pillar. "Please…" Ilia dodged out of the way sending sun into the pillar, cracking it further. Sun jumped out of the way as the pillar collapsed. Sending part of the balcony above down towards Ilia. Ghira jumped in and stopped it from falling on her.

"Move. Go!" Ghira strained himself to say.

Ilia got up and ran from the debris Ghira was struggling to hold up. He fell to a knee after she'd gotten away. Sun produced two clones to help Ghira hold up the debris. The clones looked as though they weren't going to hold out though. The hooded faunus looked towards his brother before looking back to the dagger. He grabbed it and charged towards Ghira with his and his brothers' daggers. Blake threw her weapon towards her dad wrapping it around him. She pulled him back with all her strength leaving the hooded faunus to fall face first under the debris. Sun's clones dissipated and the debris fell on the hooded figure causing a huge explosion.

As everyone tried to get their breath back Kali and Velvet burst though the door carrying Yuma with them.

"Mom!" Blake yelled running towards her.

"Crimson!" Velvet yelled running towards Lilly and me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just had a few volts run though my body." I said.

"What have you done." The remaining faunus said standing up. "You ruined everything. Everything!" Sun and Blake prepared to fight. The faunus started running towards them until he was wrapped and electrocuted. Falling to the ground.

Ilia dropped her whip as she began crying. Eventually falling to her knees. Blake, Sun, Ghira, Kali and Ilia started collecting the knocked out White fang members and taking them to the entrance. Lily and Velvet helped me up and dragged me towards the entrance. Once we were outside, they propped me up against the wall.

"Crimson!" Neo yelled running up the stairs. She wrapped her arms around me. "Thank the gods you're okay."

"Yeah, just a little weak in the legs. Where's mom?" I asked.

Neo pointed out into the crowd of faunus in front of the house. "She insisted I bring her out here."

I looked over the crowd and looked over to Blake who started walking towards them.

"Blake." Ghira said. He started moving toward her before Kali stopped him.

"Humans didn't do this." Blake said pointing to her home. "We did this. Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us? By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to."

"I'll stand with you!" Ilia yelled standing at the top of the steps. "If… if you'll have me." She started walking towards Blake before being stopped by guard.

"You're not going anywhere." The guard said.

"Let her come." Blake said.

"You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did!" The guard yelled.

"I am." Blake said.

The guard looked to Ghira who nodded in agreement. He released his grip and Ilia walked down the steps toward Blake.

"What does she think she's doing?" The guard asked.

"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older. That there is strength in forgiveness." Ghira said.

"I'll go!" A ram faunus said stepping forward.

"I'll go too." Another faunus said stepping forward.

The crowd began to erupt with faunus shouting out their support. Sun started walking down the steps towards the girls.

"Let's go." I said. Neo and Velvet helped me up and we started down the steps. They set me down on the steps with the rest of the group.

"Looks like we've got work to do." Sun said.

"My time to shine." Lilly said cracking her fingers.

"Thank you. All of you." Blake said looking around.

"You stabbed me." Sun said pointing at Ilia.

"I…" Ilia started to say before Sun pinched her. "Ow." Ilia held her arm where she'd been pinched.

"There. Let's just call it even." Sun said.

"Wait we can have revenge on friends now? Quick someone give me some lightning dust. I absorbed a lot of volts in there." I said.

Ilia moved to the other side of Blake away from me.

"I'm kidding… For now." I said.

Ghira and Kali join us.

"We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven. We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible." Ghira said.

"Leave that to me" Lilly said.

"We'll need transportation too. For everyone." Kali said.

"I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor." Blake said.

"Well if that doesn't work out, I'm sure Carmine's been dispatched to come check up on us. We were only supposed to have been here for a month." I said.

"Who's Carmine?" Blake asked.

"I'll explain tomorrow. I could use some rest. I'm beat." I said laying down on the steps. I passed out shortly after.

When I woke up I was in a white room.

"Number six huh. Fourth different hospital too. I'm never getting that free visit." I said sitting up. I looked around the room to see Neo and Velvet sleeping on the couch next to each other. "Must have passed out and someone overreacted." I activated my semblance and slowly started getting out of bed. "In hindsight, I probably should have used this during the fight." I walked over towards the girls and gently tried shaking them awake. "Hey. Girls."

They slowly started to stir and noticed I was standing in front of them.

"Crimson! You're alright." They both said.

"Of course. I just needed some rest. I've been through far worse than what happened last night." I said.

"About that…" Velvet said.

"It's been two days." Neo said.

"Really? Huh. Well I suppose we should go let everyone else know I'm alright." I said.

"You can't just leave." Neo said.

"Why not? I'm perfectly fine." I said.

"That's not how it works." Velvet said.

"I know that. This is my sixth time in a hospital. I feel fine and with my semblance I'm healing even faster." I said.

"Fine if you can convince them to let you go, we'll let you." Velvet said.

"Easy." I said walking out of my room.

As soon as I walked out, I was met with a doctor. "Mr. Vayr? You're awake?" He asked shocked.

"Yep. I'm gonna be heading out now too. So, if you could just point me towards the door I'll be on my way." I said.

"You can't just leave! You need to rest. With the condition you were in when you were brought in you shouldn't be able to leave for at least a week." He said.

"Look, I'll make this simple. Either you let me walk out now, or I'll escape. Either way I'm leaving today. I'm perfectly fine." I said jumping up and doing a flip and landing perfectly.

The doctor sighed before pointing towards the exit.

"Much obliged." I said. I turned back towards the girls. "We going or what? I'm assuming my weapons are back at mom's house. She'll probably wanna be the first to see me."

The girls looked at me stunned before following me. Only pausing to apologize to the doctor. The three of us headed back to mom's house. Mom was the only one home when I got there.

"I'm home!" I yelled.

"Crimson…" Mom said getting up to hug me. "I was so worried when I saw you collapse."

"I had a feeling. I'm fine though. All rested up and ready to go." I said.

"Are you sure?" Mom asked.

"Oh yeah, this is nothing compared to everything else I've been though." I said.

"If you say so." Mom said.

"So, where is Lilly?" I asked.

"She should be over at the Belladonna's helping create weaponry." Mom said.

"Alright, I should probably head over too. Blake needed to talk to me anyway. Carol you should probably come with." I said.

"Umm okay?" Neo said.

"We'll be back later." I said.

Neo and I headed off to Blakes home. When we got there, we saw Lilly, Ghira and a few guards outside working on some weapons.

"So, how are things coming along?" I asked.

"Well I'm surprised to see up out and about so soon." Ghira said.

"We have a long way to go. We'll be lucky to have enough weapons made by the time we set sail." Lilly said.

"It took us two weeks to get here from Vacuo. I'm guessing it'll take about a week minimum to get to Mistral let alone Haven Academy." I said.

"Which means we only have two days. It'll be a miracle if we get everything ready beforehand if not, we'll have to double time once were on the ship." Lilly said.

"Why aren't any of the villagers helping?" I asked.

"They kept messing up. I had Ghira send them to do other tasks to get ready." Lilly said.

"She ordered you?" I asked.

"I figured it would be best not to argue as long as we got the supplies we needed." Ghira said.

"I see. Anyway, where's Blake? I need to talk to her." I said.

"I believe her, Ilia and Sun are inside." Ghira said.

"Thanks." I said. Neo and I headed inside. The three were inside helping out with the damages to the building. "Wow two days and this place goes from a smoldering pile to looking pretty good all things considered."

"Dude they let you out already?" Sun said.

"Are you sure you should be up?" Ilia said.

"I feel fine. Refreshed actually." I said.

"You realize you have a lot of explaining to do now right?" Blake said.

"Yeah… How about we head out back." I said.

"What's up?" Sun asked.

"I'll explain outside." I said.

We walked out back and into the tree line a bit.

"So, why is she here?" Blake asked pointing at Neo.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"Neo, drop the act Blake knows." I said.

Neo reverted back to her normal attire and took off the ears.

"Wait so is she a chameleon faunus too? If that's the case why would she need the fake ears?" Sun asked.

"She's not a faunus at all. She's a human her semblance that allows her to change her appearance with illusions." I said.

"And she was working for Torchwick." Blake said.

"What?" Sun asked.

"Not anymore. Not since he died in the attack on Beacon." I said.

"And that makes it okay? She tried to kill Yang, she helped that psycho. She can't be trusted." Blake said.

"Why not? Ilia here tried to have us, and your parents killed. We're trusting her." I said.

"That's different! I knew there was good in Ilia! I knew she was misguided!" Blake said.

"You're saying there's not a chance Neo was misguided? I've spent enough time with her to know she's not evil. I trust her with my life. She's given us all the information we have about what happened with the attack and about Jaune." I said.

"Blake." Neo said stepping forward. "I know you have no reason to trust me. I don't blame you. Killing Yang wasn't something I wanted to do. I had a debt with Roman. I owed him my life. I hated that life. All I want, is a chance at redemption."

"Blake." Sun said putting his arm on her shoulder. "You gave Ilia a second chance. Give her a chance to prove herself."

"Fine. But don't make me regret this." Blake said.

"That's all I ask." Neo said reapplying her disguise.

"We should probably start heading back before someone finds us." I said.

Everyone agreed and we headed back to Blake's house. As soon as we got inside, we were met with Kali and Ghira.

"There you kids are. Crimson it sounds like you have some visitors in the port." Ghira said.

"Yeah I figured it was only a matter of time." I said.

"Were you expecting someone?" Sun asked.

"Not necessarily. I just figured someone would show up eventually since I hadn't gone back yet." I said.

"You think it's just Carmine?" Neo asked.

"Let's go find out. You guys wanna come with?" I asked looking to Sun, Blake and Ilia.

"Are you kidding? Of course, we will!" Sun said.

The five of us headed to the port. We could see the giant ship docked with a man dressed in all black standing beside it.

"Subtle. Guess there was no point using the small boat when we came in." I said.

We arrived at the ship and Carmine pushed the guard out of the way to walk up to us.

"Good to see you're still alive. Thought you were supposed to have been back by now." Carmine said.

"Yeah about that…" I started to say.

"Your little girlfriend begged me to bring her here." Carmine said.

"I did not you jackass!" A familiar voice yelled from the ship.

A girl with shoulder length pink hair, wearing a white shirt and a pink sleeveless jacket and white skirt, walked out of the ship and up to the rest of us.

"Cerise?" I asked.

"Who'd you think it was?" Cerise said.

"It's not that, You just look a lot different from the last time I saw you." I said.

"Coco thought I could use a new look. Anyway, we got worried that you hadn't come back yet." Cerise said.

"I'm fine. As I was about to say we ran into a problem." I said.

"What did you do this time?" Cerise asked.

"I didn't do anything." I said.

"We had a run it with the White Fang." Blake said.

"Blake? You're here too? Wait those bastards were here too?" Cerise said.

"That's not all. We found out they are planning to attack Haven Academy." I said.

"You're shitting me?" Carmine said.

"I wish I was." I said.

"Alright get your friends. Were heading to Haven." Carmine said.

"Actually, we've already got plans to head there. We're getting weapons and supplied ready to go as we speak. We convinced a majority of the faunus here to help out. Well it was mostly Blake." I said.

"That's cool, but a few villagers with no combat experience might not be a good idea. You need an experienced group to take care of this." Carmine said.

"I have a better idea. The White Fang targeted Beacon Academy and are moving on to Haven Academy. I don't know why but the schools are being targeted. You supply us with some weapons, and we'll take care of Haven. You get back to Shade and make sure it's heavily guarded in case they try attacking there too. This is the only advantage we have right now." I said.

"You wanna give a bunch of guns to civilians with no knowledge of how to use them?" Carmine said.

"It's better than a bunch of sticks." I said.

"Alright, don't complain if this comes back to bite you in the ass. Anything else you'll need? Might as well give you what I can while I'm here." Carmine said.

"We'll need earpiece communicators. I'd say about… ten." I said.

"Anything else?" Carmine asked.

"No, we should have everything else." I said.

"How about transportation? The ship's got plenty of space to get everyone there and we'll probably get you there faster than any other ship. Once we drop everyone off, we can dip out and head back to Shade." Carmine said.

"Blake, your call." I said.

"We should probably stick with our current transportation. It'll be easier for making our next move depending how the battle goes." Blake said.

"Alright, Neko, Curious George, you two come with me and we'll get you the supplies you need." Carmine said.

"Ilia, you and Carol head back to Ghira and let him know about this." I said.

"On it." Ilia said.

Everyone went their separate ways leaving Cerise and me alone.

"So, I'm just gonna skip the part where I try to convince you to come back instead. Since I know It's probably not gonna work anyway." I said.

"Nope. So, are you coming with or are you gonna go back to Shade?" I asked.

"Shade. I told you I left that place and vowed to never go back." Cerise said.

"I know, but I didn't know if knowing that I'd be going on a stupidly dangerous mission, and putting myself in extreme danger that I'm probably not strong enough to handle. If that would persuade you otherwise." I said.

"It's tempting. Especially when you put it like that. I made a promise to Coco though. I told her whether I brought you and everyone else back or not that I'd be coming back." Cerise said.

"I'm a little surprised they didn't come with." I said.

"I wasn't even originally gonna come. Coco practically made me. With what you told me about the attack, it would probably better for me to go back to them anyway." Cerise said.

"Yeah, that's why I was gonna tell you to go back anyway." I said.

"Then why did you even give me a choice?" Cerise asked.

"Just had to see where your heart was." I said.

"You're insufferable sometimes. Just don't do anything too reckless and make sure you come back." Cerise said.

"I'll do my best." I said.

"We should probably help out with getting the supplies ready." I said.

"Yeah." Cerise said.

We got on Carmine's ship and helped get a few crates of weapons unloaded. I looked into getting some extra modifications to fit my weapons. Ghira and Velvet met us at the docks to get a breakdown of the situation. We said goodbye to Carmine and Cerise and started getting everything loaded onto the ship. I headed back to Mom's house before we headed out. We said our goodbyes and I promised I'd make sure Amy would be safe. She gave me a picture of My dad and Amy, so I'd know who to look out for just in case. Once everything was loaded Ghira called for all the faunus volunteers to gather in the port. Bake and her family boarded the ship along with Sun, Ilia, Neo, Lilly, Velvet and I. We stood by the side of the ship until all the volunteers had arrived.

"Today we begin our journey to save Haven Academy, and although Adam and his defectors have chosen a path of war. This will be a step in the right direction for the equality we've sought after for so long. Today marks a new beginning for the faunus!" Ghira said.

The faunus boarded the ship and we started our journey to Haven Academy. That night I got my teammates together as well as Blake, Sun and Ilia together.

"So, why did you drag us all out here?" Lilly said.

"Well this is gonna be a pretty intense battle, we don't know what's in store for us. So, I figure if anyone's got anything, they wanna get off their chests in case we don't make it out alive might as well say it now." I said.

"You know me man. I don't live with a lot of regrets." Sun said.

"So, you have nothing you wanna say?" I asked.

"Well, I probably should have been a better leader for my team. Rather than ditching them all the time." Sun said.

"You think?" Blake asked.

"You say that like you didn't do the exact same thing." Sun said.

"Wait what?" I asked.

"I…" Blake started.

"She's not the only one… I still feel like I abandoned Ruby." Velvet said.

"Wait hold up. What did you mean Sun?" I asked.

"I was tired of seeing my friends getting hurt because of me. I thought everyone was better off without me. So, I ran home. I just wanted get away from all of this." Blake said.

"But I helped convince her that we protected her because we cared about her. Knowing if the roles were reversed, she'd do the same for us." Sun said.

"While Sun is right how am I just now hearing about this?" I asked.

"It's not something I'd like to keep being reminded of." Blake said.

"I guess with everything else I was going though I was more preoccupied and forgot about it." Velvet said.

"Still Cerise could have told me." I said.

"I'm sure she forgot too. Your team kinda went though more than the rest of us." Velvet said.

"You're probably right. Just a little frustrating. Especially not knowing how everyone else is doing since then." I said.

"Umm… If I may. I'd like to formally apologize to everyone for what I've done…" Ilia said.

"We all make mistakes. The important thing is you're on the right side now." Lilly said.

"I hope we'll be able to say the same for Adam when this is all over." Blake said.

"I'm sorry, but from what I've heard I don't think he can be redeemed." I said.

"You don't know that." Blake said.

"No, but I don't think we can afford to let him escape." I said.

"What are you saying Crimson?" Blake asked.

"I'm saying… I don't know if he'll come peacefully. We may have to take him out." I said.

"We can't!" Blake yelled.

"I'm with Crimson. This guy sounds like a total nut case. I doubt we'll be able to capture him without a fight. Might be easier to take him out than to give him a chance for escape." Lilly said.

"There has to be another way." Blake said.

"We should at least try to take him in peacefully." Velvet said.

"I wasn't trying to say it's impossible. I'm just saying we might wanna think of it as an option. Even if we end up losing the battle, we can't let him get away and risk the possibility of him planning another attack." I said.

"He's got a point. After all the destruction he helped cause to Beacon we can't really afford to let him get away. I know you don't want that to happen but we should keep it as an option." Sun said.

"You can't be serious." Blake said.

"Blake… You and I both know what Adam is capable of. This isn't easy for me to say either, but we should consider it." Ilia said.

Blake sat silent for a bit. "Let me talk to him first. Let me try to convince him to give up."

"Of course." I said.

"So, now that the cat's out of the bag. Neo, you've been pretty quiet. Why do I get the feeling you know something that you haven't told us yet?" Lilly asked.

"It's not that… I just have a bad feeling. After what happened with Beacon I'm worried that the White Fang won't be the only ones we face when we get there…" Neo said.

"Do you think she'll be there?" I asked.

"Yeah… Not only that, but I'm worried I won't be strong enough to beat her." Neo said.

"Are you kidding? You're stronger than anyone on the ship by far. If she's there we'll take her down no problem." I said.

"It's not just that. If she's there. I'm guessing she'll have Jaune with her. Will you guys really be able to fight your former friend?" Neo asked.

"It'll be the same situation as Adam. We'll try convincing him to come back to our side. If we can't we'll have to consider taking him out." I said.

"You seem really quick to jump to that conclusion." Blake said.

"Something big is going on. We don't have the luxury of letting our enemies go and hope to stop them next time. We can't just expect they can be converted to the right side. We need to accept the reality that these are bad people. If we don't take them out the world could be in serious danger." I said.

"That still seems like an extreme decision doesn't it?" Blake asked.

"No, he's right." Neo said.

"Figures you'd agree with him." Blake said.

"I agree with him because I've been on that side. Cinder won't hesitate to kill any of us. From what I've seen Adam won't either. I know someone else is pulling the strings behind all of this and it's not Cinder. We can't hesitate against any of them, cause they sure as hell won't hesitate against us." Neo said.

"I don't wanna kill Jaune, Blake. Something got in his head that we're his enemy. So, if we can't convince him to come back to our side, he will try to kill us." I said.

"This just doesn't seem right." Blake said.

"It's not, but we don't have a lot of other options. On top of all of this, We still don't know what Jaune's semblance is, or if he's unlocked it. We need to think about that going into this as well." I said.

"Hang on, before you guys go planning to kill your friend. Right now, all we know is we'll be facing White Fang. We don't know if Cinder or anyone else will be there. While a plan is a good idea, we need a plan for the White Fang first." Lilly said.

"She's right. If Jaune is there we'll deal with it then. For now we need to focus on stopping the White Fang." Sun said.

"I know." Blake said.

"Besides weren't we supposed to be getting stupid shit off our chests?" Lilly asked.

"Well if you've got something to say you have the floor." I said.

"Honestly, I don't wanna be a huntress. I never did." Lilly said.

"Then why did you enroll at Shade?" Velvet asked.

"Look at Crimson's arm and think about it. I'm an inventor. I joined so I could learn all the ins and outs of being a huntsman or huntress. Making weapons, armor and other tech to help combat the grimm. I guess in this case help make weapons to fight in a war." Lilly said.

"That explains why you didn't spar much on the trip here." I said.

"Hell, the only reason I have a weapon of my own is because of the damn combat classes. Otherwise I wouldn't even have one." Lilly said.

"You know, in hindsight. We should have figured that out." Neo said.

"Well unless anyone else has anything to say, I suggest we should get some sleep. Start planning our attack in the morning." Lilly said.

No one had anything so we agreed to disperse. Instead of heading to bed I made my way to the front of the ship.

"I'm pretty sure the beds were the other way." Neo said walking up behind me.

"Yeah. Guess I'm just hoping everyone else is doing alright. Skyler, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Ren." I said.

"Weiss." Neo said.

"Yeah…" I said.

"You know, if we survive this, we could go to Atlas and try to find her. Just the two of us." Neo said.

"What about Velvet? I told her when this was over, we'd try and go find Ruby in Patch." I said.

"We can take her to Patch. From there we'll head back to Shade. Drop off Lilly and possibly Velvet and Ruby. Then we'll sneak out and head to Atlas." Neo said.

"I don't know…" I said.

"It's just an idea. Whatever you choose to do I'll be right behind you." Neo said.

"I appreciate that. I'll think about it, but let's focus on surviving this fight first." I said.

"Then we better get some sleep." Neo said.

"Yeah yeah. I know." I said. We started heading to the sleeping quarters for the ship. "Oh, by the way."

"What's up?" Neo asked

"Regardless of my decision. Thanks." I said.


	24. Chapter 24

The few days were spent forming plans to deal with the White Fang and training the people of Menagerie to use their weapons accordingly. Hoping to keep the casualties down to as few as possible. Once we docked in Mistral we split off. Ilia went to the White Fang to confirm and disarm their explosives. Ghira and sun led separate groups of faunus to surround the school. Khali, Velvet and Lilly went off to gather the Mistral police. Leaving Blake, Neo and I behind.

"You remember what I asked… right?" Blake asked.

"We'll try it your way first. You understand we can't let him get away though?" I asked.

"I know…" Blake said.

"We need to get to our positions." Neo said.

Blake and I nodded. Blake ran off ahead while Neo and I finished prepping. I pulled out my sniper and attached a silencer to the barrel. I handed it to Neo and pulled out my SMG's.

"You know if we kill him Blake is gonna be pissed with you." Neo said.

"I know, but he's already killed one of my friends. I don't wanna give him the chance to kill another one." I said.

"Maybe there's another way." Neo said.

I attached scopes to both my SMG's and refused to answer.

"Crimson. Trust me. You don't want blood on your hands. You may think this is the right thing to do now, but you'll regret it later." Neo said.

I collapsed my SMG's and put them back. I took a deep breath. "Turn the dials to electricity dust. Let the ground forces try to subdue him. If he tries to get away fire a shot to his back. It should disable him long enough for them to subdue him." I said. Neo smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Or it could paralyze him permanently. If I can't kill him, I'll accept this as the next best thing."

Neo sighed and we started heading to our positions. Ilia radioed that the White Fang hadn't set any of the charges yet but were heading out. Neo and I headed for the main building and hid on the second floors balcony. We draped a large tarp over us, and Neo used her semblance to create the illusion nothing was up here. We prepped our weapons and waited for the White Fang.

"Crimson… Are you okay?" Neo whispered.

"Yeah? Why do you ask?" I whispered back.

"I'm just getting a little worried about you. You've always been so cheerful despite everything that's happened to you. I was part of a plan to kill you and yet you welcomed me with welcome arms. With Adam and Jaune though. It seems like you don't care if they live or die. I just don't want to see you go down the same dark path Roman did." She whispered.

"The difference between you and them is that you actually felt remorse for what you did. You wanted a second chance. From what Blake has told me Adam's feelings aren't going to change. He hates humanity and will step on anyone who defies him. Regardless if they are human or not. Jaune is the reason I'm in this condition to begin with. Not only that but he's sided with Cinder. I don't know what she told him, but I can't see him being reasoned with. I've tried in the past and he doesn't listen. I'd like to hope someone will be able to talk some sense into him. I don't wanna lose someone who used to be my friend. Unfortunately, you said it yourself. Cinder and anyone with her aren't gonna hold back. They'll try to kill us they first chance they get. If we want to stop them it's something we have to come to terms with." I whispered.

Neo was about to say something when she noticed movement in the square. "Crimson. You're gonna wanna see this."

I looked out to see Qrow leading Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Ren, Nora, Skyler and a kid with dark brown hair wearing a white shirt and brown pants with orange suspenders.

"Weiss. Skyler. What are they all doing here?" I whispered.

"I'm not sure. Are you going down?" Neo whispered.

I watched as they headed towards the building we were perched on. "No… We have a mission." The group entered the building. "The White Fang should be here soon. I'll watch inside and see if I can figure out why they are here. If something happens let me know." I pulled out one of my SMG's and loaded fire rounds. I switched to its sword mode and started slowly cutting the frame of the window. I removed a piece of glass and switched my weapon back to its gun mode. I started watching what was going on inside. The group was meeting up with a man with a mane of tanish grey hair with a brown sleeveless coat and a white shirt underneath and dark brown pants on a raised area above a statue.

"Why hello. Thank you for... coming. There... seems to be more of you than last time." The man said.

'Last time? How long have they been here?' I thought.

"Eh, you know what they say, 'The more the merrier.' So, what's going on with the council?" Qrow said.

"Why... did you bring your weapons?" The man said placing his arms behind his back.

"What? Leo, we're Huntsmen. You okay?" Qrow asked.

"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee." Leo said.

'That must be the headmaster Cerise told me about.' I thought.

"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?" Qrow asked.

"Mom?" Yang asked.

Qrow pulled out his sword and fired a shot to the corner of the building. A black bird flew down behind Leo and a woman with long black hair a large grimm mask wearing a black and red top appeared out of nowhere on the other side of him.

'What… what did I just see?' I thought.

"They're here. They've started placing the bombs. Just like Ilia said it looks like they are focusing on the CCT." Neo whispered.

"There's someone new here. Any idea who it is?" I asked.

Neo shifted to look through the window as the woman took her mask off. A look of fear slowly grew on her face. "I don't know who she is, but she's the one who stopped me from killing Yang." Neo whispered.

"Great. If she was strong enough to scare you off, she could be a problem." I whispered looking back to continue watching.

"I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister." The woman said.

"Leo... what have you done?!" Qrow yelled.

"I..." Leo started to say.

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position. He looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too." The woman said.

"You have the Spring Maiden." Qrow asked

"I do." The woman said.

"Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!" Qrow yelled.

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!" The woman yelled.

"You're wrong. We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please." Ruby said holding her hand out.

"You sound just like your mother." The woman said. She pulled out her sword and swung it opening a red and black portal. A fireball shot out knocking Ruby back.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled running to her sister.

"Hello boys and girls." Cinder said stepping out of the portal followed by Mercury, Emerald, Jaune and another female with short dark brown hair wearing a brown vest over a torn white shirt and maroon-colored pants with the right side rolled up. Jaune's armor was now black with red highlights and he was no longer wearing a sweatshirt underneath. He now had a red shirt under his armor.

"We got a big guy heading towards this building." Neo whispered.

"We've got bigger issues." I whispered.

Neo turned to see everyone inside. "Cinder." Anger growing in her voice.

The doors below us opened.

"The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out." The man below us said.

"Wanna bet." I said clenching my fists.

"Crimson." Neo said trying to stop me.

"Don't let Adam escape. Once he's captured come in and help us." I said loading gravity rounds into my other gun. I was about fire a gravity round at the building when Neo grabbed my arm.

"If you blast in now it'll give away my position. If you want in, make a bigger hole and slide in first." Neo said.

I took a deep breath and nodded. I switched back to my flame blade and started cutting a hole in the building.

"And Crimson." Neo started.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to say something but paused. "Please be careful." She said before retaking her position.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "I'll do my best."

Once the hole was made, I slide though and switched back to its gun mode. I stood up and jumped up on the railing. I launched off it and landed behind Qrow.

"You guys didn't plan on starting the party without me, did you?" I asked.

"Crimson." Weiss said stunned.

"Kid." Qrow said.

"So, you survived after all." Cinder said.

"How is that possible? Why are you here?" Jaune asked his anger growing.

"Someone had to talk some sense into you. But since I've tried that in the past to no result. How about I beat it into you?" I said pointing my guns at him.

Everyone started getting their weapons ready.

"Everybody, stay calm." Qrow said holding his arms out.

Jaune's anger slowly vanished, and he began laughing. "You really think you can beat me after what happened last time?"

"Well considering you were supposed to kill me I'd say you're still as shitty a huntsman as ever." I said.

Jaune grabbed the hilt of his sword and pointed the blade towards me. "I'm gonna finish what I started at the tournament."

"Or get laid out on your ass. Go ahead… flip that coin." I said. Jaune shifted his sword to its two-handed mode. A huge smile grew on my face. "Are you ready?"

Jaune and I started charging at each other. I stitched my guns to their sword modes. I jumped and hit Jaune's blade away while moving past him. Once I hit the ground, I ran straight for Cinder. I went to slash at her and she blocked it with a pair of swords she'd made appear out of nowhere. Ruby tried to jump in and help me but was stopped by Emerald. Cinder knocked my blades away and kicked me back.

"Hey! Your fight is with me!" Jaune said ready to charge again. He ran forward only for his blade to be blocked by Ren's.

"Wrong! Your fight is with me Jaune." Ren said holding him back.

Jaune jumped back. "Stand aside Ren. This is between me and him."

"You were our leader Jaune. Pyrrha would be so hurt to see you now." Ren said.

"Leave her out of this!" Jaune yelled.

I left Jaune to Ren and charged at Cinder again. She blocked every strike of mine with little effort. She continued blocking my strikes until she'd made an opening and shot a fireball at me. Sending me back.

"I can't imagine why you'd have any issues with me. We've never even met." Cinder said.

I stood up and switched to my guns again. I unloaded the rounds and reloaded them. One with a combination of electricity and gravity the other with electricity and ice. "Let's just say I heard you were involved with my attempted murder."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Why would I waist my time with a weak little monkey like you." Cinder said.

Weiss let out a shriek of pain. I looked over to see her being shocked by the girl that had come though the portal with Cinder.

I got pissed and tightened my grip on my weapons. "Weak huh. Then how about we stop playing and get serious?" I switched back to my blades and readied to charge.

"If you say so." Cinder said pointing her blade towards me. It shattered into a blade of pure fire.

We started charging towards each other.

"NOOOOO!" Ruby yelled.

The room was filled with a bright light until Emerald hit Ruby knocking her out. Cinder was stopped in her tracks. Her sword disappeared and she dropped to her knees grabbing her left arm. I crossed my blades across her neck.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't slice your head off." I said. I was soon struck by Emerald similar to how she'd taken out Ruby.

Cinder got up and a flame started coming from her eye. She walked over and stomped on my chest.

"You think you're a bigshot? You're nothing! Just an orphan that no one cared about!" Cider yelled.

"You're wrong. Yeah, I was an orphan, but I have people who care about me. And together we will stop you." I said. I changed my arm into a hammer and slammed it into her leg. Sending her falling to the ground. I tried to stand up, but Cinder launched a fireball at me knocking me back down. She readied another one but paused.

"Together huh? Then I'll just take them down. One. By. One." Cinder said. She formed a spear and started walking towards Weiss.

"No…" I scrambled to grab my weapon and switched it to its gun mode. I fired at Cinder, but my shot missed, and she threw the spear at Weiss. Impaling her abdomen. The spear disintegrates and she collapsed to the ground.

"WEISS!" I yelled. I grabbed my other weapon and ran towards her. I dropped my weapons and lifted her up. "No, Weiss please. I can't lose you." I set her down and started putting pressure on the wound hoping it would help. Ren came over and started looking her over. "Ren please tell me there's something we can do."

"I don't know…" Ren said.

"No, there has to be something we can do." I begged. Tears streaming down my face.

"What a shame. And I had just unlocked my semblance too. I'd have been able to amplify her aura to heal her." Jaune said walking over towards us.

"Jaune please you've gotta help her. You loved her too remember? Can you really just watch her die?" I pleaded.

Jaune paused before turning to walk away. "Now you'll know what it's like to lose the one you love."

"No…" I leaned over and held her hand.

"Crimson you're able to amplify aura too wouldn't you be able to heal her?" Ren asked.

"I can amplify MY aura I've never tried it on another person. Besides it's gotten weaker somehow. Even if it worked, I doubt it would be enough." I said.

"You need to at least try." Ren said. He placed a hand on my shoulder and the color faded from both of us. I calmed down and nodded to Ren.

I placed my hands over her wound and I activated my semblance. I tried focusing my aura into her. "Please work." I whispered. A dull white glow started forming around my hands slowly spreading around her wound. Her breathing slowly started getting better.

"I think it's working." Ren said.

As he said that the glow started to fade away. "No what happened?" I said pulling out my scroll. My aura was gone. Even after the boost I got it still wasn't enough.

"Crimson…" Weiss said weakly.

"You're gonna be okay." I said. picking her up and holding her close.

"I thought we agreed no more hiding things from each other." Weiss said.

"I'm not hiding…" I started.

"Crimson. I know I don't have much longer. So, with the time I still have left. Just hold me. Please." Weiss said.

"Don't talk like that. I'm not gonna lose you again. I'll figure something out and we'll be together again." I said tears streaming down my face again.

"I love you Crimson." Weiss said getting weaker.

"I… I love you too Weiss." I said. Weiss slipped away.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled. She ran over and sat next to me. "Weiss…"

I picked her up and laid her down next to the wall. I clenched my fists and walked back to pick up my weapons. "Ruby, Ren go help Yang. Nora go help Qrow and the kid." I looked over to see Skyler fighting Jaune. "Sorry Neo." I put my weapons away and charged at Jaune. I punched him with my left arm sending him crashing into the wall. I grabbed the Kunai from my right leg and started walking towards Jaune.

Jaune started crawling to get his weapon, but I shot it away from him. I picked up my pace and kicked him in the face. He fell back against the wall and I pressed my foot to his neck pinning him to the wall. I threw the Kunai into his right leg. He yelled out in pain. I pulled out one of my swords and stabbed his left leg. Causing him to scream out in pain again. I pulled out my SMG and shot ice rounds around his legs. I crushed an ice crystal in my left hand. I grabbed his arms and pinned them to the wall.

"Crimson." Skyler said with slight fear in her voice. She looked over and saw Weiss. She placed her hands over her mouth.

"Why… You had a chance to do something good and you let her die. Just to spite me." I said.

"Now you know how it feels." Jaune said.

I punched him across the face.

"She was your friend." I said.

"Bullshit! She treated me like crap. She didn't care about me at all." Jaune said.

"Then what about the rest of us? Ren? Nora? They were your teammates. They cared about you more than anyone. And you turned your back on them." I said.

"This is all Ozpin's fault! He's the bad guy in all of this. It's his fault Pyrrha is gone." Jaune yelled.

"What are you talking about? Cinder was the one who killed her." Skyler said.

"You're lying. She told me Pyrrha died when he tried transferring the maiden's powers into and failed." Jaune cried.

"Yes, Ozpin was trying to transfer the maiden's powers into Pyrrha. It failed because Cinder stopped it. Ren was there, he saw everything. Pyrrha told him to leave to find help while she fought Cinder in the CCT. Ruby watched her… disappear. At Cinder's hands. It's her fault." Skyler said.

"You've been manipulated since the tournament. You're so fucking stupid you never even stopped to think that what she's saying isn't the truth. She led the attack on Beacon you dumbass!" I yelled.

"No… You're lying. This is all Ozpin's fault!" Jaune yelled.

I walked over and picked up Jaune's sword. I changed it to its shotgun mode and held it to Jaune's head.

"Goodbye Jaune." I said.

As I fired something pushed the gun upwards causing me to miss completely. The gun was knocked out of my hands and I was tackled to the ground. Neo was holding me down crying.

"I thought we talked about this!" Neo yelled.

"He…" I started to say.

"I don't care! I'm not going to let you kill him! I won't let you go down that path!" Neo yelled.

"Seriously? Another one?" Jaune said.

Skyler threw her boomerang at his head knocking him out.

"Killing him won't solve anything. It'll just haunt you for the rest of your life." Neo said.

"She's right." Skyler said kneeling next to us. "Killing him won't bring her back."

I looked into Neo's eyes and my rage faded into regret. "I'm sorry." I said. Neo got off me and I stood up and walked over to Jaune. I grabbed a crystal of fire dust and crushed it in my left hand. Skyler and Neo grabbed my arms. "I'm not gonna do anything to him." They released me and I knelt down in front of him. I pulled out a crystal of ice dust. "Skyler hand me your boomerang." She complied and I placed the crystal in the center. I held my hand over his legs where my weapons had been lodged. I pulled them out and hit the area with Skyler's boomerang. Freezing them once again preventing him from losing any more blood. I replaced my weapons and stood back up.

"The others need our help." I said.

"Right." They both said.

We went to join the rest of the group who had Mercury, Emerald and the big guy backed to a corner.

"That's enough! Just give up." Ruby said.

Mercury slamming his fist to the ground in frustration.

"It's not over! Cinder will come back, she'll have the Relic, and she'll stop all of you! She won't let us down." Emerald said.

She looked over towards where the statue had once been to see it raising up and her expression changed to surprise.

Yang was standing above the statue as it rose up holding a yellow lantern.

"Yang…" Ruby said smiling.

Emerald dropped to the ground crying. Mercury and the big guy started backing away.

"Emerald, get up, we need to go." Mercury said.

Emerald looked up and looked around panic growing.

"Emerald!" Mercury exclaimed.

Emerald continued to panic until she let out a loud scream. The room turned dark as black smoke rose from the ground. A giant deformed figure rose from it, towering over everyone in the room. The figure opened its eyes and let out an ear-piercing scream as it swooped down towards us. I closed my eyes and formed a shield with my left arm. Nothing hit me and I opened my eyes to see whatever the figure was had disappeared. Along with Jaune, Emerald, Mercury and the other guy.

"Wha… what was that?" Blake asked.

"An illusion. But an accurate one. That... was Salem." The kid said.

I looked at Neo for an answer, but she shook her head. I looked towards Weiss and started walking over to her. Neo followed next to me. Someone grabbed Neo and pulled her away from me.

"And where do you think you're going?" Yang yelled.

I quickly unsheathed my sword and pointed it at Yang. "Leave. Her. Alone." I grabbed Neo's hand and pulled her behind me. "It's over. If she was with them, she wouldn't still be here."

Yang stepped back and I replaced my sword and the two of us continued towards Weiss.

I dropped to the ground in front of Weiss and started crying again. I slammed my fists into the ground. "It's my fault. I should have finished Cinder off when I had the chance."

Neo knelt down next to me and placed her hand on my back.

"If I wasn't so weak, I could have given her more aura!" I yelled. "I'm so sorry Weiss. I'm sorry…"

The rest of group and slowly formed around us. Velvet and Lilly had joined shortly after the rest of the White Fang had been apprehended. Once Ruby had noticed Velvet she ran over and started crying even more. The police took Weiss' body and informed us they would send it back to her family in Atlas. The rest of us headed back to the house where Ruby and everyone else were staying. Neo and Ren took me to one of the rooms and stayed with me until I eventually passed out.

The next few days I refused to come out of the room. The only person I would talk to was Neo and even then, I didn't say much. I was refusing to eat, so she had to almost force me to. She'd tell me how the others were worried about me. How she knew everything would be alright. She tried different ways to try cheer me up and slowly it was starting to help. I still wouldn't talk to anyone just yet though.

After about three days of staying in the room I waited until I thought everyone should be asleep and headed downstairs. I looked around a bit until I found a candle and took it downstairs. I walked outside to the patio and set the candle on the ground by the wall. I pulled out my scroll and started a song before pulling up a picture of her and I. I set my scroll next to the candle.

 **(Cue My Most Precious Treasure by Amalee)**

I pulled out a small fire dust crystal and used it to light the candle. As I stared at the picture tears started flowing once again.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered.

As the song began fading out, I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

"I was wondering where the music was coming from. It's good to see you out of your room." Ruby said.

I didn't say anything back.

"Do you mind if I sit out here with you?" She asked.

I shook my head and she sat next to me. We sat in silence looking at the picture until Ruby broke the silence.

"When she joined up with us the first thing, she did was ask Skyler about you. If she'd seen you, if she knew what happened to you… if you were alive. Unfortunately, Skyler told her she had no clue. At first Weiss was so mad at her and yelled at her. Later that night she apologized saying she shouldn't have gotten that upset, but she'd been so worried about you. She debated heading to Vacuo instead of Mistral. She figured if she got her sister's help, they might be able to find you easier. Turns out Ironwood pulled all his forces out of Mistral." She said.

I didn't respond.

"For a while I was kinda in the same boat. I'm sure Velvet told you I was out cold when her team decided to take off. I had no clue where they went. I was so sure that maybe I'd done something wrong and that's why she didn't say anything. Thank you for helping watch out for her while you guys were at Shade Academy. I know you spent most of the time helping Neo out, but I heard you spent a lot of time with her also." She said.

I still didn't say anything.

"I also know about the night she spent with you in the hospital." She said.

I closed my eyes and turned away from her.

"I'm not mad." She said.

I opened my eyes in surprise and looked a bit in her direction.

"I mean at first I was furious, but then she told me how you regretted it and how even though you two had feelings for each other you were worried about me. None of us knew if we'd see each other ever again and you were still worried about upsetting me again. Then I got thinking that if you and Vel hadn't showed up I probably would have tried to see if things would have worked out with Weiss and I. So, I had no reason to be mad at you or her." She said.

I was about to say something when she cut me off.

"Hey, do you mind if I play a song?" She asked.

I shook my head and she pulled out her scroll. As the music started, I felt my heart stop for a moment.

 **(Cue If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback)**

"Weiss told me it was the first song she'd heard you sing. She told me later how you'd told her the time you were in the hospital you were thinking about how unhappy you were and wanted that to change. How you didn't want to die with regrets. How you wanted to spend what time the two of you had left happy. Neo told me that regardless of everything you'd been though. Weiss was the one thing pushing you keep going. I'm guessing now that she's gone you feel like there is nothing to keep you going. I know when you lose someone you don't know how you could live without them." She said. Tears started running down her cheek. "You feel like your life won't be the same without them. You need to remember we're all here for you. We cared about her too. I know you feel responsible, but it wasn't you fault. Please don't blame yourself for her death."

I sat in silence thinking about what she'd said.

"I'm gonna head back to bed. Don't stay out here too long alright." She said standing up and heading into the training hall.

"Ruby." I said.

She stopped and looked back at me.

"Thanks." I said with a slight smile.

She smiled and nodded before continuing inside. I blew the candle out and collected everything before heading inside. I got back in bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next day I woke up to a knock at my door.

"Come in." I said groggily.

Neo opened the door and walked in.

"Hey, I probably know the answer, but I thought I'd check if you wanted some breakfast." She said.

"Sure, I'll be down in a bit." I said.

"Really?" She said surprised.

"Yeah. Actually, before I head down, I need to apologize to you." I said.

"What for?" She asked. She closed the door and sat next to me on the bed.

"You've done nothing but try to help me out the last few days, and I pretty much shut you out." I said.

"You stuck by me no matter how much I tried pushing you all away." She said.

"That's why I wanted to apologize. I refused to give up on you, but I wouldn't let anyone help me." I said.

"Crimson it's alright. I understand I'm not upset." She said.

"No, it's not alright." I said.

"Crimson." She said.

"My whole life I've had bad thing after bag thing happen to me. For every good thing that happened to me something twice as worse seemed to follow. By the time I finally got to Beacon I thought my luck had finally turned around. Then the Ursa incident happened. I took that and made a positive out of it by mostly overcoming that and my other major fear. Soon after Weiss became the most important thing to me. Then I wagered our relationship on a stupid bet. That I ended up losing." I said.

"You know that wasn't your fault." She said.

"Regardless I still lost her. Then the bad news just kept coming. I lost a part of me, my teammate, and a good friend. The entire time I kept telling myself 'I have to act strong. I have to keep going until I find her again.' I knew the odds of it actually happening were incredibly low, but it was the only thing keeping me going. Then it finally happened. I was finally reunited with her. And then she was taken away from me. The last few days I've just felt like I had nothing left to live for." I said.

"Stop." Neo said.

"Even now I'm not sure…" I stared before she cut me off.

"Stop!" She yelled standing up. "Don't ever say that again. I don't ever wanna hear you say you have nothing to life for." Her hands were curled in fists. "You have friends downstairs who care about you. You have friends back at Shade who care about you. You have a mother who loves you back in Menagerie. You're a huntsman. I know you've had a lot of bad things happen to you because I was part of it. You still have so much in your life. Saying that is like saying everyone else in your life is meaningless."

As I listened to her a thought slowly formed in my mind.

"Neo, Roman said that didn't he? That's why it upset you so much to hear me say it." I said.

"Yeah." She said.

"Hear me out a minute. I was about to say that even now I'm not sure what I should do next. My main goal aside from saving the school was to find her. I was considering your offer to go find her. Unfortunately, that's no longer an option. So once again I'm lost on what my next path is. I don't know if or when I'll be back to my old self, but I know as long as I have you and everyone else, I'll figure out my next path." I said.

I stood up and took her hand.

"I'm sorry I went off like that." She said.

"It's alright. Go ahead and head downstairs I'll be down in a few minutes. Make sure Nora doesn't eat everything." I said.

"Alright." She said.

She headed downstairs and I got a shower. After I was done and dressed, I went downstairs to join everyone. It was solemn atmosphere, and I assumed everyone was just trying not to upset me. Neo and Ruby eventually started conversations with me end eventually everyone was sharing back and forth on what had happened to them up until meeting at Haven Academy. I was introduced to Oscar who was apparently the host body for Ozpin. I didn't quite understand the whole situation but was told that essentially Ozpin's soul is immortal. So, each time he dies his soul finds a new like-minded host. I was brought up to speed on Salem and learned how she was actually behind everything that was going on.

I learned about the Maidens and their powers. How Ozpin had somehow given Qrow and Yang's mom the power to turn into birds. I was told Yang's mom Raven was the first one who appeared that created the portal Cinder came though. I was told the big guy they fought was Hazel and that he blamed Ozpin for his sister's death. Yang told us how when she went down to retrieve the relic that Cinder was gone. Neo and I were hoping she'd died down there, but something told us we were wrong. Qrow and Ozpin told us that we needed to take the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas. I got worried as soon as I heard that. I get the feeling I wasn't the only one.

"Are you sure it would be a good idea for Crimson to go with us?" Ren asked.

"I can't imagine he'd be the most welcome to the city." Yang said.

"If anyone's worried about Weiss' dad doing something to him the fact is Ironwood wouldn't allow it. Even still he does have other options. Sad to say the way this is looking Shade Academy will be a target before too long so they could probably use all the help and warning they can get." Qrow said.

"Dad could always use a little extra help too." Blake said.

"Shade should have been given some warning already. I had a friend deliver a message back to them once I heard about the plan to attack Haven. By now they should have some protection ready, or at least have taken precautions." I said.

"Well Mr. Vayr the decision is yours. We could use all the help we can get, but I understand if you choose otherwise." Ozpin said.

The next couple days Neo and I discussed our options on what we thought the best option for us was.

"You're sure about this?" Neo asked.

"Not entirely, but either way we're pretty much getting kicked out of the house." I said.

"We'd better get going then." She said.

We walked downstairs and joined everyone else.

"So, have you decided what you're doing?" Ruby asked.

I nodded. "We're going with you guys to Atlas."

"You're sure about that?" Blake asked.

"No, but from what Qrow and Oz told me my sister is from Argus. So, with school out indefinitely I might be able to meet her. Plus, my dad should still be working for the SDC so there's that too." I said.

"If that's your final decision we'd better get going." Qrow said.

Everyone nodded and we headed towards the train station.


	25. Chapter 25

**I'm back baby! I know it's been a while but I had some major writers block while working on a chapter for Team BAWM over on TheBurningRulers page. (which you should totally check out if you haven't yet) Anyway on with the reviews.**

 **Merendinoemiliano: Thanks once again. As for Jaune's fate what's gonna happen is [redacted].**

 **MemeWorshipper: Thank you.**

 **Jake Hallows: I was wondering if anyone would notice that one.**

 **Now on with the chapter… sort-of. I never thought this story would be going this long. So, I decided to do a 25** **th** **chapter special. So, for this chapter we'll be doing the Crimson and Pals Holiday Spectacular! So, since it's the holidays all the friends Crimson's made are free to join with no adverse effects to timeline. (disclaimer: while invited to attend not all responded to the invites so some may not appear. Some invites may have also been misplaced in other dimensions.)**

 **Crimson and Pals Halloween Special!**

Weiss and I were on our way back to our dorms after we'd finished studying in the library and I was once again trying to convince her to go to the Costume party Beacon was holding for Halloween this weekend.

"No." Weiss said.

"Oh, come on it'll be fun." I said.

"The last party was one thing this is just childish." She said.

"Exactly, we're allowed to cut loose once in a while and have fun and act like children." I said.

"I'm not going to a costume party and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind." She said.

"We'll see about that. I'll get you to go one way or another." I said.

"Wouldn't you rather just go on a date just you and me?" She asked.

"Of course, I would but you know why we can't." I said.

"We'd be back with plenty of time." She said.

"What is so bad about going to a costume party? Don't rich people do the same this but with a different name?" I asked

"Masquerades are not the same thing. They are classy affairs where guests gather in dresses and tuxedos and wear specific masks." She said.

"You mean like the mask Cian wears?" I asked.

"Yes, but way more colorful and with decorations added." She said.

"So, let me get this straight. You dress in an outfit you wouldn't normally wear at a party where people don't fully recognize each other." I said.

"That's one way of putting it I suppose." She said.

"That's literally the same thing. The only difference is its less high society. Therefore, you should have no reason not to come to this one." I said.

"You really expect me to dress up in some cheep costume around these degenerates?" She asked.

"It would make you seem less of an ice queen and more relatable." I said.

"That's what you're for." Weiss said giving me a small kiss on the cheek.

"You know I could always just tell your team and they would hound you just as much." I said.

"Don't you dare. Yang and Ruby wouldn't let me hear the end of it." She said.

"Exactly, so you may as well give in and go." I said.

"Ugg, you can be such a pain sometimes." She said.

"I'll make you a deal. If you go to the party on Saturday, I'll take you out for the whole day on Sunday. We can do whatever you want." I said.

"You sure you're up for it? Remember what happened last time we did whatever I wanted." She said with a mischievous grin.

"I mean it wasn't that bad. Besides I can't imagine you thinking of anything too bad." I said.

"If you say so. You realize you have to help me figure out a costume, right?" She said.

"I might have a few ideas." I said.

"Why does that worry me?" She asked.

"It'll probably be better than anything Yang would suggest." I said.

"Sadly, you're probably right." She said.

The rest of the day was spent looking for a costume for Weiss. With her rejecting most of the suggestions.

"How about Harley Quinn?" Skyler asked.

Weiss looked the character up on her scroll. "No"

"I still think you should be Elsa." Yang said.

"For the last time I'm not letting giving you the Ice Queen joke!" Weiss yelled.

"Sephiroth?" Crys suggested.

Weiss looked the character up. "That's a guy."

"Well you've said no to pretty much anything else. Figured it was worth a shot." Crys said.

"I'm not dressing up as a guy." Weiss said.

"Emma Frost." Xana suggested.

"I don't care if that is a real character or not. You are spending too much time with Yang." Weiss said.

"Seriously, I didn't expect this to be so difficult." I said.

"It wouldn't be if Weiss would stop being so picky." Blake said.

"How about Black Cat?" Cian asked.

"No." Weiss said.

"Probably a longshot but how about Angewomon" Blake asked.

Weiss looked up the character and her face turned red. "Absolutely not!"

"She does give me a different idea though." I said.

"Oh no…" Weiss said.

I pulled up an image of Kanade from Angel Beats.

"How about this?" I asked.

"She doesn't look too bad." Weiss said.

"Crimson just wants you to be his Angel." Crys said.

"Well I mean she kinda already is." I said.

"Kinda?" Weiss asked.

"You know you are." I said kissing her on the cheek.

"That's what I thought. This will work." Weiss said.

"The long search is finally at an end." Yang said.

"It's a miracle!" Skyler said.

"Very funny." Weiss said.

"So, what are you gonna be Crimson?" Yang asked.

"Well I suppose I could be Otonashi, but I think I'm gonna go with Super Saiyan Four Vegeta." I said.

"Wouldn't it be better to match with your girlfriend?" Skyler asked.

"Could look at it as a beauty and the beast situation." Crys said.

"Why Super Saiyan Four though?" Cian asked.

I held up my tail.

"Fair enough." Cian said.

"How about you Cian?" Yang asked.

"I haven't quite decided yet." Cian said.

"What about you Crys?" Weiss asked.

"I think Ren and I are going as Kirito and Sinon." Crys said.

"Wait when did you and Ren start dating?" I asked.

"Well my girlfriend is with Ruby in this story, so I took who she's dating in my story. Not that it matters since I won't be in this story any chapter after this anyway. I had a major crush on Ren anyway so bonus that he was single in this story." Crys said.

Everyone in the room stared at her in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xana asked.

Crys sighed. "We've been dating for a month."

"Oh my god. That's so cute." Yang said.

"What about you Cerise? You and Coco gonna match too?" Skyler asked.

"You know gatherings like that aren't for me. Coco and I are just gonna have a date night instead." Cerise said.

"That's a great idea. I wish I'd thought of that." Weiss said glaring at me.

"Hey when you can either out smart me or throw shit at me from across the room with your mind you can take advantage. Until then I win." I said before sticking my tongue out at her.

"It may not be with my mind, but I'm pretty sure I can do both of those." Weiss said.

"Perhaps. But if you throw something and miss you can't continuously move it in the air ensuring it hits its target. So once again, I win." I said.

"This also coming from the guy who constantly makes reckless decisions without thinking of the consequences until after they happen." Blake said.

"Speaking of bad decisions. Any idea if Neo's gonna come out not?" Yang asked.

"I'm not sure. You should be asking Cian. He's been talking to her more than me lately." I said.

"I thought you were dating Hailey?" Skyler asked.

"Where did you get that idea? Were just really good friends." Cian said.

"And here I thought Crimson and Jaune were the densest students here." Yang said.

"What do you mean?" Cian asked.

"Never mind, anyway did Neo say if she was going to be coming?" I asked.

"She's still not sure if it would be a good idea." Cian said.

"She totally should! No one would know it's her whatever she dresses up as." Skylar said.

"I'll keep trying to convince her." Cian said.

"Awesome." Skylar said.

"Yay…" Yang said less enthusiastically.

The next couple days Weiss and I spent any free time we had getting our costumes together. She ended up convincing me to dress up as Otonashi. Insisting that since I convinced her to dress up for the party that I have to match her. The day of the party Yang Weiss, Xana and I went to the city to pick up some things last minute.

"So, everyone is clear on the plan for tonight, right?" Yang asked.

"It's not that hard to remember." Weiss said.

"I more meant those two." Yang said.

"I'll probably be with you the entire time anyway, so I don't think it'll matter." Xana said.

"We just have to make sure she doesn't try leaving early. Shouldn't be too hard." I said.

"Good. Remember she can't come back to the dorm until after nine." Yang said.

"We'll keep in contact with Velvet just to be safe." Weiss said.

"Great. And remember no one tell her 'happy birthday.' We want her to think everyone forgot and to be completely surprised when it happens." Yang said.

"Shouldn't we be worried about Skylar and Nora?" I asked.

"Nah, I made sure no one told them, so they don't accidentally say anything. They'll be just as surprised as Ruby." Yang said.

"I still think this is a bit cruel." Xana said.

"Trust me, she'll be perfectly fine once the party starts." Yang said.

"So now the question is how are we going to get all the decorations and stuff in the room without her knowing?" I asked.

"Oh, I already had that taken care of. We've already gotten everything we need." Yang said. '

"Then why did you bring us out here?" Crimson asked.

"Well you two are the biggest part of the plan and I wanted a way to go over the plan one last time where Ruby wouldn't hear." Yang said.

"And what makes you think she didn't just follow us?" Weiss asked.

"I told her the four of us were going on a double date before the party." Yang said.

"And you expect that to be enough?" I asked.

"Not in the slightest. So I had Blake run interference to distract her." Yang said.

"This probably could have been a text rather than dragging Crimson and I out here." Woods said.

"Probably, but what would you two have been doing anyway?" Yang asked.

"Sleeping in sounds like it would have been fun." I said.

"Getting in some extra studying." Weiss said.

"See you had nothing better to do." Yang said.

Weiss and I groaned and headed back to Beacon the first chance we got to slip away. The two of us went back to my dorm and got a head start on our homework before the party started. We changed into out costumes and headed down to the party.

"I still can't believe I let you talk me into this." Weiss said.

"You'll have fun, trust me." I said.

We entered the ballroom which was already packed with students in all sorts of costumes. On the stage was the DJ Ozpin had hired for the party. Weiss and I were able to pick Ruby and Velvet out of the crown immediately and headed over to them. They were dressed as Joker and Queen respectively from Persona 5.

"Excellent costumes girls." I said.

"I don't get it. The two of you don't look like you match at all." Weiss said.

"They are two characters from a video game. Two of the more popular ones." I said.

"If you say so." Weiss said.

"You look beautiful Weiss." Velvet said.

"Naturally." Weiss said with a smile.

"Well that compliment didn't go to her head." Blake said walking up to the group. She had dressed up as Hermione from Harry Potter.

"Hey Blake, Where's Sun at?" Ruby asked.

Blake sighed. "He and Neptune are still on there way."

"He didn't come with you?" Weiss asked.

"Let's just say his costume idea wasn't really as simple as mine." Blake said.

"Come now my dear. Halloween is a time for us to break the chains of who we are and go wild." Artemis said. He had dressed up as Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate.

"And you are?" Weiss asked.

"I've gone by many names over the years. Prince of Wallachia, Vlad Drăculea III, The Crimson Fucker, The Vampire King. But you my dear, may simply call me. Alucard." Artemis said.

"I'm so confused." Weiss said.

"I'll explain later." I said.

About an hour and a half later. Yang and Xana, who were dressed up as Frankenstein's Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein, came up and let us know they were gonna start setting up the party.

"We'll try to get it set up as soon as possible. Just make sure Ruby doesn't leave." Yang said.

"We got this." I said.

Weiss and I began searching for Ruby and Velvet. We ended up finding them sitting at a table. Ruby was looking kinda down.

"You know, I know Joker was framed for something he didn't do, but that doesn't explain why _you_ look upset." I said as Weiss and I walked up.

"What's wrong Ruby?" Weiss asked.

"It's nothing." Ruby said.

"Ruby, just tell them." Velvet said.

"I really didn't wanna make a big day about it, but it's my birthday and it seems like Velvet's the only one who either knew or remembered." Ruby said.

"What? Weiss, why didn't you tell me it was her birthday?" I asked.

"Don't blame me. I told you multiple times." Weird said.

"Then why didn't you say something to her? You live with her." I asked.

"That's… Well… I meant to, but you and Yang pulled me away before I had a chance." Weiss said.

"Guys it's fine. Like I said I didn't wanna make a big deal about it. If anything, I'm just upset Yang didn't say anything." Ruby said.

"Maybe she's just been busy with other things." Velvet said.

"Yeah. That could be it. I'm sure she'll say something by the end of the night." I said.

"I hope so." Ruby said.

"Hey, Crimson how about you and I go gets some drinks?" Velvet asked.

"Great idea. You two stay here we'll be right back." I said as Velvet and I started walking away.

"Has Yang started setting up the party yet?" Velvet asked.

"They left a few minutes ago. I think I'm gonna have Jaune and Pyrrha go help them if I can find them." I said.

"Good, she's trying to be tough about it, but I can tell this is bothering her more than she wants to admit." Velvet said.

"Yeah, I don't think she realizes how easy it is to read when she's upset." I said.

"I just hope you have some ideas to help get her to stay." Velvet said.

"I'm sure I'll think of something." I said looking around the room. I stopped when I saw the DJ on stage. "Perfect."

"What?" Velvet asked.

"Alright, So, you beat me in a solo singing contest. Think you could beat me and Weiss in a duet battle?" I asked pointing to the DJ.

Velvet got an evil smile on her face. "Good idea, but do you really want me and Ruby to embarrass you that bad?"

"Well of course it wouldn't just be us. Gotta make sure we waist a little time. Think you could handle the pressure?" I asked.

"You're on." Velvet said.

The two of us started heading to the stage when someone in teal armor accidentally bumped into us.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry." The girl said.

"Wait Pyrrha?" I asked.

The girl took off her helmet to reveal that it was indeed Pyrrha.

"Wow nice costume." Velvet said.

"Thanks, but they here Jaune's idea." Pyrrha said.

"Where is he anyway?" I asked.

"Well you know what they say. Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear." Jaune said in a modified voice walking up to Pyrrha in black armor with orange accents.

'Devil seems pretty accurate.' I thought. "These costumes are awesome Jaune."

"Yeah, I know." Jaune said.

"Umm, if it's not too much trouble could you two go help Yang set up for Ruby's party?" Velvet said.

"Absolutely." Pyrrha said.

"Thanks guys." Velvet said.

"Of course." Jaune said before the two started walking away.

"I still can't believe they're actually together." Velvet said.

"Something tells me his change in personality had something to do with it. Hopefully it doesn't backfire on him." I said.

Velvet and I continued to the stage.

We walked up the DJ and asked if we could have our competition. He was happy to oblige us and handed us each a mic.

"Attention students of Beacon Academy!" I said over the speakers. "A gauntlet has been thrown! Some of you may remember how a certain Rabbit Faunus was able to best me in the singing contest earlier this year. Well this same person has claimed she could do the same thing in a duet contest! So, would Ms. Rose and Ms. Schnee please come to the stage. As well as any others who think they could best either of us."

Ruby and Weiss made their way to the stage as well as a few other costumed pairs.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Weiss whisper yelled at me.

"Creating a distraction." I whispered back.

"You could have at least told me about this first." Weiss said.

"I just thought about it a couple minutes ago." I said.

"Alright, then do you have a plan for what we're gonna sing?" Weiss said.

"I may have an idea." I said. I pulled a song up on my scroll.

Before Weiss could respond Nora, dressed as Thor, ran up and grabbed the mic from me and ran out on the stage.

"Alright folks! Skyler begged me not to sing because she thinks I'd get carried away and break something. So instead I'll be taking over the roll of the announcer! Can't have Crimson unfairly declaring himself the winner at the end, right?" Nora said which got a few laughs. "Let's get started then! First up, we have the dynamic duo of Nightwing and… I'm not sure exactly what her costume is. Either way we have Cian Riley and Hailey Sakura!"

Hailey was dressed as Hinata from Naruto and looked about as nervous as the character. Cian looked somewhat confident.

 **(Cue Don't Stop Believin' by Journey)**

 **Cian: Just a small-town girl. Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere.**

Hailey took a deep breath before she started.

 **Hailey: Just a city boy. Born and raised in Southern Mistral. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere.**

The crowd started going nuts after Hailey started singing.

 **Cian: A singer in a smoky room. The smell of wine and cheap perfume.**

 **Hailey: For a smile, they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on**

The crowd began singing along with the duo.

 **Both: Strangers waitin'. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searchin' in the night. Streetlight people. Livin' just to find emotion. Hidin' somewhere in the night.**

 **Cian: Workin' hard to get my fill.**

 **Hailey: Everybody wants a thrill.**

 **Both: Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time.**

 **Cian: Some will win.**

 **Hailey: Some will lose.**

 **Both: Some are born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on.**

 **Both: Strangers waitin'. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searchin' in the night. Streetlight people. Livin' just to find emotion. Hidin' somewhere in the night.**

They two started dancing on the stage and Hailey looked like she didn't even realize the two were on stage anymore.

 **Both: Don't stop believin'. Hold on to that feeling. Streetlight people. Don't stop believin'. Hold on. Streetlight people. Don't stop believin'. Hold on to that feeling. Streetlight people. Don't Stop!**

The crowd erupted with cheers from the audience. Before the two left the stage Hailey kissed Cian on the cheek causing Cian to turn red.

"And just like that we're already starting off strong. Gonna be hard to beat that let alone follow it. So, next up we have…" Nora started before someone dressed as Deadpool and Spiderman jumped up on stage and took the mic from Nora.

 **(Cue Dubstep by Ninja Sex Party)**

 **Deadpool: Spidey, all the kids are listening to Dubstep, and we don't have a dubstep song. You know what to do.**

 **(Instrumental)** Spiderman stood silently with his arms crossed.

 **Deadpool: Dubstep! Nailed it.**

Deadpool tossed the mic back to Nora and the two jumped off the stage. The crowd was a mixture of laugher and confusion.

"Was… was that Sun?" I asked.

"I think so. Then the other one must have been Neptune." Weiss said.

"Well that was unexpected, but at least it took the pressure off our next contestants. Let's hear it for… I don't know these costumes either. Crys and Ren!" Nora exclaimed.

Crys was dressed as Sinon and Ren was dressed as Kirito from Sword Art Online.

 **(Cue Bring Me to Life by Evanescence)**

Crys looked just as nervous about this as Hailey if not more. She closed her eyes and started singing.

 **Crys: How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core. Where I've become so numb, without a soul. My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold. Until you find it there and lead it back home.**

 **Ren: Wake me up.**

 **Crys: Wake me up inside.**

 **Ren: I can't wake up.**

 **Crys: Wake me up inside.**

 **Ren: Save me.**

 **Crys: Call my name and save me from the dark.**

 **Ren: Wake me up.**

 **Crys: Bid my blood to run.**

 **Ren: I can't wake up.**

 **Crys: Before I come undone.**

 **Ren: Save me.**

 **Crys: Save me from the nothing I've become.**

Crys turned to Ren and looked directly at him as they continued singing.

 **Crys: Now that I know what I'm without. You can't just leave me. Breathe into me and make me real. Bring me to life**

 **(Ren: Wake me up!) Crys: Wake me up inside. (Ren: I can't wake up!) Crys: Wake me up inside! (Ren: Save me!) Crys: Call my name and save me from the dark. (Ren: Wake me up!) Crys: Bid my blood to run! (Ren: I can't wake up!) Crys: Before I come undone! (Ren: Save me!) Crys: Save me from the nothing I've become! Bring me to life.**

 **Ren: I've been livin' a lie, there's nothing inside**

 **Crys: Bring me to life. Frozen inside, without your touch. Without your love, darling. Only you are the life. Among the dead!**

 **Ren: All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see! Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me!**

 **Crys: I've been sleeping a thousand years, it seems. Got to open my eyes to everything!**

 **Ren: Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul. Don't let me die here. There must be something more.**

 **Crys: Bring me to life**

 **(Ren: Wake me up!) Crys: Wake me up inside. (Ren: I can't wake up!) Crys: Wake me up inside! (Ren: Save me!) Crys: Call my name and save me from the dark. (Ren: Wake me up!) Crys: Bid my blood to run! (Ren: I can't wake up!) Crys: Before I come undone! (Ren: Save me!) Crys: Save me from the nothing I've become! Bring me to life.**

 **Ren: I've been livin' a lie, there's nothing inside**

 **Crys: Bring me to life.**

The crowd cheered loudly for the two.

"So, this may have been a mistake." Velvet said.

"No kidding I thought this was gonna end up being a close one between the two of us. This isn't gonna be easy." I said.

"Amazing job you two. Even if your costumes don't make sense to me. Next up, we'll have the first of our duo of our competition starters. Dressed in… Okay I'm not announcing costumes anymore cause none of you know how to pick normal costumes! Velvet and Ruby!

"I would say wish us luck, but We won't need it against the two of you." Velvet said sticking out her tongue.

"She really gets competitive with this sort of thing." Weiss said.

"Yeah, it's weird to see her so confident about something like this." I said.

 **(Cue Angel by Anna Blue)**

 **Velvet: You're like a light within the dark. Just like an angel (angel, yea)**

 **Ruby: You're breathing life into my heart. Just like an angel (angel, yea)**

 **Both: And you lead me through the darkest time. Gonna leave this world behind. Angel. Take me to a better place, where I see those brighter days. Angel. Let's seize the day and break away. My angel.**

 **Velvet: You raise me up when I am down. Just like an angel (angel, yea)**

 **Ruby: I feel the love when you're around. Just like an angel (angel, yea)**

 **Both: And you lead me through the darkest time. Gonna leave this world behind. Angel. Take me to a better place, where I see those brighter days. Angel. Let's seize the day and break away. My angel. And when I cry you're always there to dry my tears. A single word from you can take away my fears. I hang onto you, baby, just you and I. You gotta spread your wings and fly. Angel. Take me to a better place, where I see those brighter days. Angel. Let's seize the day and break away. My angel. My angel. Angel.**

The crowd erupted with cheers once again.

"Another excellent performance as velvet reminds us why she won the last competition. The competition has been pretty tough this time around though. Will she and Ruby be able to pull off the sweep or will another duo end their streak? We only have two more groups left so first up…" Nora said before five characters jumped down from above the stage in superhero landing poses. Two of which were Deadpool and Spiderman again. Joining them was Hawkgirl, Harley Quinn and Nightwing. "Hey three of you already went you can't go again!"

Hawkgirl took the mic this time. "The next contestants were kind enough to give up their place and allowed us to make an unofficial surprise appearance before the final contestants."

She passed the mic to Harley Quinn. "So we aren't going for the win, Just for the fun of it."

"Hit it!" Deadpool shouted.

 **(Cue Ginyu Force Theme by** **Friedrich Habetler & Son Wukong)**

 **Spiderman (Neptune): My Name is Recoome. I've got the strongest powers ah! I'll take all your lives without even breaking a sweat. (Touh) With my Ultra-Fighting Pose. The Miracle Bomber, oh yeah! I'll sweep all the scum off of the battlefield.**

 **Hawkgirl (Skylar): The name is Burter here comes the blue hurricane. woah, my speed is unmatched by anyone.**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Nightwing (Cian): We've just arrived! and we're the most elite warriors in the universe. We even shut up whining kids, we're the Ginyu Special-Squad.**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Skylar: We'll arrive in a flashy way, and we'll show you our Special fighting pose. You'd better go on and kneel before its ultimate beauty.**

 **All: Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai!**

 **Deadpool (Sun): Hey there my name is Jeice. They call me the Red Magma. I'm also known as the special-squad's number two man. Shall I pet you using my signature crusher ball, and by pet I don't mean just patting you on the head.**

 **Harley Quinn (Neo): Guldo, That's what they call me. I have the power to stop time. Woah, I am full of real psychic power.**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Sun: We've just arrived! and we're the most elite warriors in the universe. We're the best in the world, the one and only Ginyu Special-Squad.**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Neo: We have just decided on a chocolate parfait, as our afternoon snack, and we'll never ever share at all. you don't get any.**

 **All: Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai!**

 **Cian: Hey, my name is Ginyu. The one and only Team Captain. When fighting me you better give it all you've got. I serve under Lord Freeza. Don't really give a damn who you are. All I know is that you'll be on the ground soon. CHANGE! You know you should feel honored. How about now I show you my dance, prepare yourself to see my Dance of Joy**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Cian: We've just arrived, and we're the most elite warriors in the universe. I hate frogs, though I don't know why, maybe it's their color.**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Neptune: We decide when we fight with Rock-Paper-Scissors, it's only fair. Fairness is what warriors are all about. You'd better remember that**

 **All: Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Yes, we are!**

 **Neo: We've just arrived! and we're the most elite warriors in the universe. We even shut up whining kids, we're the Ginyu Special-Squad**

 **All: Yes, we are!**

 **Skylar: We'll arrive in a flashy way, and we'll show you our Special Fighting Pose. You'd better go on and kneel before its ultimate beauty.**

 **All: Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai! Tokusentai!**

Once again, the crown roared with a mixture of laughter and cheers.

"Oh, sure I'm not allowed to compete, but you can." Nora said puffing out her cheeks. Skylar came over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before flying off. "That isn't gonna work every time you know! Anyway, since apparently the actual next contestants gave up their spots we'll be moving on to our next and final contestants. Give it up for Weiss and Crimson!"

"Crimson I love you, and I mean this in the nicest way possible. If you want a chance at winning. We'll have to change the song. How about Phantom of the Opera instead?" Weiss asked.

"Honestly I don't care about winning. Singing with you is all I care about right now. I don't think we've sung together once despite us clearly being the best. And we don't need no stinking non-existent trophy to prove it." I said.

"Then why did you make it a competition?" Weiss asked. I pointed to Ruby who seemed a lot happier. "Oh, right."

"I said I was creating a distraction." I said.

"You just really want me to sing that song don't you." Weiss asked dreading what was about to come.

"You've come this far haven't you? What's a little more embarrassment?" I said.

"Will our final competitors make their way to the stage or else they'll be disqualified." Nora said.

"You owe me." Weiss said.

"Yeah I know." I said before kissing her.

We made our way to the stage and took our positions.

 **(Cue It's Not Like I Like You! (feat. Amree & Emirichu))**

 **Weiss: A-á-a, a-á-a, pa-zim-da-zum-da pam-pa-du-pam**

 **Both: A-á-a, a-á-a**

 **Weiss: nááá (Crimson: Hey. That's pretty good.)**

 **Weiss: Wha-! No one asked you!**

 **Crimson: I've got myself just a little bit of love that I wanna spend on you. But baby, I'll never get that chance to dance that romance with you. Oh, no, cause You're always hittin, (Weiss: hiyah!** {Throwing a punch at me.} **) And kickin (Weiss: hugh** {Sending a kick towards me.} **) And putting me down. I hope you don't mean what you say.**

 **Both: But I keep seeing you stickin' around. Like you can't get enough. So I stay and I wonder, How my hand would feel intertwined with yours.**

 **Crimson: As of now though** (Attempting to grab Weiss' hand)

 **Weiss: What are you doing?** (Pulling her hand away)

 **Crimson: Nothing but closed doors. My girl's a dere. A tsun-tsundere. Just saying "hi" gets me a punch in the face.** (Weiss tries to punch me, but I dodge and run away) **And if I should compliment her, she starts to chase.** (Hiding behind one of the curtains)

 **Weiss; Hey! That was a direct attack!**

 **Crimson: Oh, no! The wild cat found my hiding place!**

 **Weiss: Stupid octopus! Take it back!**

Weiss and I make our way back to the center of the stage.

 **Crimson: So, uh, how am I an octopus?**

 **Weiss: How am I a cat!?**

 **Crimson: Well-uh-cats are cute!**

 **Weiss:** (Acting flustered) **Go away!**

 **Crimson: Can we get along? You're so headstrong.**

 **Weiss: There's no way, go away, now so long! (** Turning away from me)

 **Crimson:** (Moving in front of Weiss.) **Just talk to me and you will see.**

 **Weiss: That's not fair, using flair you dummy! I've got myself just a little bit of love that I wanna spend on NOT you. Cuz baby, I'm afraid you'll say, that it's not okay with you Oh, oh, cuz. You're always laughin** (I give a small laugh) **And jokin** (boop) **You look like a clown.** **But I hope you mean what you say**

 **Crimson: I do**

 **Weiss: And I wonder what you would think.** **If I let my pride down, let it sink.** **Could we hold hands, kiss?** **Live our lives in gentle bliss?**

 **Crimson: We could**

 **Weiss: Ah! I'm not talking about you! You're not my prince in this.** **I'm not a dere.** **A tsun-tsundere**. **I have a jello heart, I'm not that mean!** **I'm not blushing, I was just rushing and forgot the sunscreen!**

 **Crimson: Your smile is really cute though.**

 **Weiss: You'll never see it from underneath my ponytail!** (Covering her face with her hair.)

 **Crimson: (Sigh) Alright. I just wanted to let you know.** (I start walking away.)

 **Weiss: Uh-um hey.**

 **Crimson: Yeah? (Weiss: Um) Are you okay?**

 **Weiss: Y-yeah, um, well, heheh. Hey, hey are you free free today?**

 **Crimson: Oh ho ho. Why do you want to know?**

 **Weiss: It's not like I like you, okay?!**

 **Crimson: Alright cool, where do you want to go? We could rent a boat and sail, find a bunny and feed it some juicy kale. (Weiss: No that sounds really stupid) Okay well how about a classy dinner by candlelight, or scary stories til midnight, so then I could hold you tight (Weiss: And get cheeto crumbs on me?! No way!) Ba da ba da ba!**

 **Weiss: Okay, I think you're a little dense. I really do not like all of this talk you have in the present tense. Ba ba da ba da! So listen here buddy. It's all just a big fantasy you see inside of your head! No! So just say goodbye!**

 **Crimson: Eh-whatever.**

 **Weiss: Ba ba da ba da!**

The two of us look away from each other. Weiss peaks over at me and when I catch her, she tries to look away again. I smile until she looks back again and pretends to get angry with me.

 **Weiss: I'm not a dere. A tsun-tsundere. (Crimson: My girls a dere. A tsun-tsundere) Hey! I can kick your butt even in this dress!**

 **Crimson: Ugh! I digress! So let's just go to the park I guess**

 **Weiss: Pff, you wouldn't even know what to bring.**

 **Crimson: Oh, come on, will you please just say yes!**

 **Weiss: Geez, fine, baka tako! It's not like I'll enjoy it or anything.**

Weiss smile and puts her arms around my neck.

The crown cheers loudly. We clearly weren't the winners, but Weiss clearly had more fun than I think either of us anticipated.

"Alright folks It's time to cast your votes! Who do you think won tonight? Was it, Ren and Crys?" Nora asked.

The crowd started cheering.

"Ruby and Velvet?" Nora asked.

The crowd cheered a bit louder

"Whatever Deadpool and Spiderman's thing was?" Nora asked.

The crowd got a little quieter and mostly turned to laughs.

"Crimson and Weiss?" Nora asked.

The crowd cheered a bit more.

"Or finally, Cian and Hailey?" Nora asked.

The crowd erupted in a sea of cheers.

"Well that sound unanimous to me! Your winners Cian Riley and Hailey Sakura! Although with what happened after their performance. I'd say they won in their minds either way." Nora exclaimed.

Yang texted me letting me know that everything was ready to go and to start having people head over. I showed the text to Weiss and we started going around to everyone except Ruby and Velvet. Letting them know to head over. I messaged Velvet and told her to distract Ruby for just a few more minutes to get everyone over out of the party. A few minutes later Weiss and I got together and made sure everyone had left and confirmed it with Yang before heading off to find Ruby and Velvet. We found them on the balcony talking. Ruby seemed to be in a better mood, but it was obvious something was still bothering her.

"Well, who'd have thought both our parings would have lost. I thought at least one of us was a sure win." I said.

"I'm pretty sure Sun's group thing with everyone would have won if they'd have wanted to." Ruby said.

"Somehow I'm not too sure about that." Weiss said.

"Well no use complaining now. We tried our best anyway." Velvet said.

"Yeah and you looked like you were having a lot of fun out there Weiss." Ruby said.

"I… Okay maybe it was kinda fun." Weiss said.

"Told you." I said.

"Watch it." Weiss said.

Ruby and velvet started laughing at us.

"Anyway, I know I've been busy today, but I did manage to get you a present Ruby." Weiss said.

"You did?" Ruby asked surprised.

"Of course. We are partners after all. Let's head back to the dorm and I'll give it to you." Weiss said.

"Thanks Weiss." Ruby said.

The four of us started heading back to the dorms and I messaged Yang letting her know. When we got to her dorm the lights were out and the curtain was closed. Weiss turned the light on once the four of us were inside.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday Ruby!" Everyone in the room said.

Ruby started to tear up with a huge smile on her face.

"By the way, this was all Yang's idea." Weiss said.

"Yeah most of us have known for a couple weeks." I said.

"Thanks guys." Ruby said hugging both of us.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying the party. Mostly a few of us stopping Nora from eating the rest of the cake. It was the best Halloween most of us had ever had. Especially Weiss who would still deny it, but she was smiling any time she said it. Unfortunately, it would also be the last one we would celebrate for the foreseeable future.

Happy Halloween!

 **RWBY: Red Ice Christmas Special!**

"Merry Christmas Everyone!" Ruby yelled at the lunch table.

"Ruby, Christmas isn't for at least another week." Weiss said.

"I know, but some of us are going to be leaving soon. So I wanted to say it before anyone left." Ruby said.

"She has a good point. Ruby and I will be taking off after classes tomorrow." Yang said.

"I don't suppose you'd be able to bring a guest?" Xana asked.

"Wouldn't you wanna spend time with your parents?" Ruby asked.

"Well, to be honest. Not really. I don't need them lecturing me the whole time about how I should return to Atlas. Plus, Christmas was never really something we celebrated. It would be nice to experience it with a normal family." Xana said.

"If you want normal you probably shouldn't come with us." Ruby said.

"Yeah, dad goes kinda overboard when it comes to Christmas." Yang said.

"He puts up so many decorations, you could probably see it from here." Ruby said.

"Sounds perfect." Xana said.

"If you say so. I'll call dad later and ask if it's alright." Yang said.

"Are you and Velvet gonna be able to spend any time together?" Pyrrha asked.

"Actually, dad and Velvet's parents said it was okay if she spent the first week with us and then me and her go to her place for the rest of break." Ruby said.

"What about you Blake?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Right now, I think I'm just gonna stay at the dorms." Blake said.

"Well then you can spend Christmas with Nora, Ren, Crys and I." Skylar said.

"I'll think about it." Blake said.

"All of you are staying?" I asked.

"Yep, Ren and I don't really have any family other than each other, so we really don't have anywhere else to go. Skyler doesn't wanna go back to Vacuo. Then there's Crys'… well interesting background. So, she doesn't have anywhere to go either." Nora said.

"If you'd prefer a quieter Christmas, you could stay in our dorm." Cerise said.

"That sounds a bit better. No offence guys. If it's not too much trouble would it be alright if I bring Ilia along?" Blake asked.

"Should be fine." Cerise said.

"What about Sun?" Ruby asked.

"His team insisted they head back to Haven. Something about a Bro's Christmas Bash. I don't think I'll be missing anything. so we agreed to have our Christmas with before he left." Blake said.

"So how about you two?" Yang asked Pyrrha.

"We'll pretty much be doing the same thing Ruby is. The first part of break I'll be spending at Jaune's. and the second part will be at my place." Pyrrha said.

"Which just leaves Artemis and Cian." I said.

"Artemis and Clover will be staying too. Ilia and I thought about hanging out with them a bit too." Blake said.

"I think Cian was heading back home to Mistral. I think he was gonna invite Hailey, but I'm not sure if he did or not." Pyrrha said.

"Which just leaves Weiss and Crimson." Yang said.

"I've taken care of that." Weiss said.

"You have?" I asked.

"Of course." Weiss said.

"Well then don't keep us in suspense." Yang said.

"Well I'm not going into detail, but obviously I'm not going home with the way fathers been acting. So, instead Crimson and I will be staying somewhere else for break." Weiss said.

"So when did you plan on telling me?" I said.

"Later today, but I had planned it to be more of a surprise. It's not like you would have had any other plans anyway." Weiss said.

"I mean your not wrong." I said.

"Great. So start packing soon, we'll be leaving after class tomorrow." Weiss said.

"You gonna at least tell him where your going?" Blake asked.

"Nope." Weiss said with a large smile.

When we were done eating I headed back to my dorm and started packing still having no idea what Weiss was planning.

"So you have no idea what Words was taking about?" Skyler asked.

"None whatsoever." I said.

"Knowing her it's probably something really expensive." Cerise said.

"I mean your not wrong, but if it really wrong to wanna be pampered once in a while?" I asked.

"The perks of dating a rich girl." Cerise said.

"Aren't you dating Coco? She's probably the next richest girl here." I said.

"Like I said. Perks of dating a rich girl." Cerise said.

"You know I don't usually try talking advantage of her money." I said.

"If course not. Your loaded too why would you need to." Xana said.

"Plus your money comes from the SDC too. So either way they are paying for whatever happens." Skylar said.

"You know just once I'd like to win against you guys." I said.

"Stop making stupid decisions and maybe you could." Cerise said.

The next day after classes I finished some last minute packing and met Weiss at her dorm. After we said our goodbyes we headed out and boarded an airship for the city. From there we ended up taking another airship to a southern part of Vale. From there we got a limo taking us into the woods.

"So, you gonna tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"Just be patient. We'll be there soon." Weiss said.

About an hour later we arrived at a small cottage in the middle of nowhere.

"Surprise." She said.

"I don't know what to say." I said.

"Just tell me you love me." She said.

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "I love you."

After we got our stuff inside Weiss tipped the limo driver and he took off.

"So not that I'm not happy with this, but why couldn't you just say what you were planning yesterday?" I asked.

"Because telling them 'Crimson and I are going to a secluded cottage in the country' isn't smart. Plus the look on your face was amazing." She said.

"Okay you've got a point." I said.

"Well one of us has to be the smart one." She said.

"Hey, my grades are just fine thank you." I said.

"True, but refresh my memory. What deal did you make with my father?" She asked.

"Never gonna let that one go are you? " I asked.

"Nope." She said.

"So I'm guessing all expenses paid?" I said while looking around.

"Actually, I decided to go with a cheaper option." She said.

"Really? Are you sure you'll be able to live without the lifestyle you've become accustomed to?" I asked sarcastically.

"All I care about is that I have you. Plus if things don't go well I'll probably need to learn to live like this before too long anyway." She said.

"You make it sound like I won't win the tournament." I said.

"It's not that…" She said.

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"Even if you do I'm sure father will have some sort of backup plan to screw us over." She said.

"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes. Worse case scenario I have to go to another school. No one said you couldn't also transfer." I said.

"I guess…" She said.

"Let's I worry about it. We've got two weeks to ourselves. No sense worrying about what ifs." I said.

She smiled and nodded. "Your right."

"See I can be smart." I said.

"I wouldn't go that far." She said with a small laugh. She put her arms around me and gave me a quick kiss. "But you do know how to cheer me up."

"I'll take it." I said.

We took our stuff into the bedroom and started putting it away in the provided dressers.

"Oh, I did splurge a little extra for one thing." She said.

"Which was?" I asked.

"They had an extra package for Christmas. They put a bunch of decorations in the closet. We can put up as much or as little as we wish." She said.

"You put up decorations that aren't for a fancy event? This I gotta see." I said.

"Would you rather I make you do it?" She said.

"Please. If you try that nothing is getting put up." I said jokingly.

"And if I say no kisses until they're up?" She said smiling and crossing her arms.

"Then I guess we'd see how long you could go without it." I said.

"You think I'd break before you?" She asked.

"Well we could try and find out, or we could just not and set them up together." I said.

"Sounds good." She said.

We started pulling stuff out of the closet to decide what to put up. They had a decent sized tree some garland, lights, and ornaments. We put the tree up and decided to put some lights around the windows.

"This doesn't look too bad actually." She said.

"Surprisingly yeah." I said.

"Didn't think I could do it did you?" She asked.

"It's not that. I had no experience decorating so I was more doubting myself than you." I said.

"I think there's some stuff to make coco in the kitchen. Would you mind making some? I'm gonna go change quick." She said.

"Sure." I said.

I heard for the kitchen and looked for the stuff to make hot chocolate. Surprisingly the kitchen was stocked pretty well. Shortly after I started Weiss came into the kitchen wearing a white sweater and light gray sweatpants with her hair down.

"S-so… what do you think?" She asked.

"I mean it's definitely different. If we weren't the only two people here I'd think you were someone else. You just look like ten times more relaxed." I said.

"Thanks… I think." She said.

I gave a small laugh. "You look amazing snow angel."

She blushed a bit and walked over to me. "Still hard getting used to you calling me that."

"Well you've got a couple weeks to get used to it." I said.

"I guess so." She said.

"I'm gonna guess you'll want yours without marshmallows?" I asked.

"You could put a couple in." She said.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah." She said.

"So let me get this straight. You got regular people clothes, want a sugary drink with added sugar that you'd get on Ruby for, you willingly helped decorate for Christmas…" She cut me off.

"Is there a point to this?" She asked.

"What's up?" I asked.

She sighed and grabbed her coco and gestured me to follow her. We went into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Look I know I'm not acting like my normal self. Just like Xana said I wanted to experience a normal Christmas. Honestly even the time of year that's supposed to be about family and fun ect. It was anything but that growing up. I figured you'd be able to give me the Christmas if always wanted as a kid." Sure said.

"Well no pressure." I said with a small laugh.

"I should clarify I don't expect everything to be perfect. Honestly just this day has been better than any other year so far. I don't expect you to do anything extra. Just indulge me please." She said.

"As you wish my dear." I said.

She moved closer and rested her head on my shoulder. "Thank you Crimson."

"So I just realized something." I said.

"What?" She asked.

"We'll be sleeping together the entire time." I said.

"T-that's not a problem… is it? " She asked.

"N-no… I mean as long as your okay with it." I said.

"It should be fine. I mean it wouldn't be the first time right?" She asked.

"True." I said.

The next few days were definitely different. It was like Weiss was a completely different person. She seems so relaxed, like she didn't have a care in the world. Then again she really didn't. I don't think I've ever seen her smile or laugh so much since I met her.

"You know, I almost wish we didn't have to go back to Beacon." I said.

"Why's that?" She asked.

"Just seeing you so happy has been amazing. I know when we go back things will mostly just go back to the way they were before." I said.

"I see…" She said.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way. Either way your still the girl I love." I said.

"But you'll keep thinking of the girl you see now wishing she was around more." She said.

"It's just with all the extra stress of school and the others you are clearly more tense. These past few days you've had absolutely no stress and you've smiled and laughed so much I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them. I've seen both sides of you and either way I know I'll see you smile." I said.

"I know what you mean. The worst part is your not wrong. I know life is gonna have its struggles and stress regardless. Just being able to get away from it all has been the best feeling. As much as I don't want to I'll start getting stressed with school and everything else that I'll start getting irritable and live up to the Ice Queen nickname." Sure said.

"I'll still be by your side either way." I said.

"And you don't know how much that means to me. Honestly with how I act towards people I'm surprised I have someone who cares about me as much as you do. More than most of my family does." She said.

She stood up and walked over to the tree. She stood there in silence.

"I don't care." She said.

"About?" I asked.

"At the rate he's going my father is going to run the company into the ground if they don't force him to step down. Unless the board decides to put me in charge they'll probably do everything themselves or put my little brother in charge. There's a good chance I wouldn't even have a chance to make the changes if like to make. It would just be so much added stress that I don't need. I hate for my father to run my family name into the ground. Especially one he wasn't born into, but your right. So once I graduate from Beacon all I want to is to spend the rest of my life with you." She said.

"I'm beyond happy that you'd wanna spend the rest of your life with me, but isn't this a bit drastic?" I asked.

"Probably, but right now I don't care. You're right this is the best I've felt in a long time. I don't know if I've ever been even close to this happy in all my life and all it took was being away from all the things that have been causing me nothing but stress. I know even after we graduate that there will still be things in life that will stress me out, but I know as long as I'm with you it won't seem near as bad." She said.

"I'm not gonna tell you what to do, and I'll support you no matter what your decision, but before you go making a rash decision. I think you should give it a few more days to make sure this is what you want to do. This is a pretty important decision and I want you to make sure this is what you want." I said.

"I doubt I'll change my mind, but I'll take your advise." She said.

"like I said I'll support your decision, but the thing that worries me is this sounds like the kind of decision I would make." I said.

That seemed to make sense to her. Before she could respond she paused and took a second to think.

"While I see your point. Things have found a way to work out for you haven't they?" She asked.

"This is no time to use logic." I said.

"If you say so." She said with a laugh. She came back over and sat on my legs with hers on each side of me. "Since we're throwing logic out the window. How about we have a little fun."

"Your trying to tease me again, aren't you?" I asked.

"Maaybe." She said sliding her hands around my neck.

I put my arms around her back and pulled her closer. She moved one of my hands lower and then leaned in for a kiss. Her tongue entered my mouth and soon after mine was intertwined with hers. I moved my hands up to her sides and started tickling her until we had both fallen to the floor. Somehow, she managed to turn the tides on me and ended up back on top of me.

"That wasn't fair." She said smiling.

"Maybe not, but it was funny." I said.

"Now who's the tease?" She asked.

She kissed me and laid down beside me.

"So, not that it matters, but how far were you gonna go with that?" I asked.

"We've got a few days left. Maybe you'll find out." She said winking.

"You're doing it again, aren't you?" I asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not." She said with a small laugh.

"What am I gonna do with you?" I asked.

"Hmm, I might have a few ideas." She said.

"I need to learn to choose my words more carefully." I said.

"Don't worry I'm only kidding, but you have to admit it is kinda fun." She said.

"I'm not saying it isn't." I said.

"Then as long as we only stick to what we're comfortable with then everything should be fine." She said.

"Which almost makes me wonder where that limit is." I said.

"Well if you want, we do have plenty of time to find that line." She said.

"I promise nothing, but we'll see." I said before kissing her on the forehead.

"Alright." She said smiling. "I'll still think it over like you asked, but you have to admit spending our lives together like this would be wonderful."

"No argument here." I said.

We got up and sat on the couch and covered ourselves with a blanket.

"You know. Something still seems off about the tree." She said.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Aren't there supposed to be a bunch of presents under the tree? All I see are the ones we got each other." She said.

"You're asking the wrong person. At the orphanage we each only got one thing." I said.

"Didn't Santa ever bring you something?" She asked.

It took a minute for me to register what she had just said.

"Come again?" I asked.

"What about Santa? Surely he'd have brought you something." She said.

"I'm sorry, you bringing up Santa sounds so wrong." I said.

"Don't tell me you don't believe in him." She said.

"It's not that, but this, once again, sounds like something you'd be getting on Ruby about." I said.

"Ruby is so innocent though. Her believing makes sense. Especially if their father is as into this stuff as they said. I had to keep it hidden for years. It was like my only symbol of hope for the longest time." She said.

"I guess that makes sense. Growing up with so much negatively you need something to try to cling to in order to stay hopeful." I said.

"Just don't tell anyone, cause I never will hear the end of it." She said.

"Of course." I said.

The next couple days passed until Christmas morning finally arrived. To my surprise when we woke up, we found a couple more presents under the tree marked 'from Santa.' Weiss ended up getting me a new mp3 player with her emblem on the back. I got her a locket with our pictures in it. Inside the two from 'Santa' were a pair of necklaces. Weiss' had a mulberry topaz gem with my emblem (eighth note with he circle replaced with a heart) embossed in silver. Mine had a sky-blue topaz with her emblem embossed in the same way.

"These are beautiful." She said.

"They are amazing." I said.

"Thank you Crimson." She said hugging me.

"Your welcome snow angel." I said.

After we got dressed, we laid on the couch watching tv.

"You know, just cause, I said I believed in Santa didn't mean you had to rewrap the necklaces." She said.

"Wait, I thought you did that since you were the one who brought it up. I thought you were just thanking me for the locket." I said.

"So, if you didn't get them. Where did they come from?" She asked.

"You know, I don't think anyone would believe us if we told them." I said.

"Maybe you're right." She said.

The remaining days came and went faster than either of us wanted them to.

"So, back to Beacon tomorrow." I said.

"Unfortunately." She said.

"Well, it would be nice to see everyone again. This has been nice, but I kinda miss the hell we'd all get into." I said.

"I'm sure we'll get put into some life-threatening situation within a week." She said.

"A week? I was thinking less than that." I said with a small laugh.

"We should probably start packing." She said.

"Probably." I said.

"So, I thought about what I said the other day." She said.

"And?" I asked.

"I'll agree that it was a fairly rash decision. Thinking back though, Winter essentially did the same thing. She chose the military life over our family. This is my life and I'm so tired of everyone trying to tell me what's best for me. I know this means I'll be giving up a lot, but I don't care. I want my life to be determined on my choices. Not the ones others make for me. I wanna make mistakes and learn from them. Most of all. I want a life that you'll always be a part of. Because it'll be my decision." She said.

"You're positive about this?" I asked.

"I am." She said.

"Then I'll do my best to make that possible for you." I said.

"This means I'll have to start saving some money on the side. I can't rely on you to pay for everything right away." She said.

"True. Especially since you should probably have Ruby or Blake help plan the wedding. Don't want you to go too, overboard right?" I said with a slight laugh.

"W-wedding?" She asked blushing.

"I mean, that is what you meant right?" I asked putting my arms around her.

"Yes." She said tears rolling down her face.

"I love you Weiss." I said.

"I love you too Crimson." She said.

 **Happy Holiday's Everyone!**


	26. Update 4-12-20

**What's up peoples! Unfortunately, not a new chapter this time just an update chapter.**

 **First off, I'm sure you're waiting for the next chapter possibly anxiously. I'm working on some options on how I want to progress since season seven threw some wrenches into my original ideas with Weiss being such a key character. Until then if you haven't yet you can always check out my other stories.**

 **Secondly, when I started writing this story, I had very little experience with no planning for where I was going with this story and honestly didn't think my stories would take off near as much as they have. For which I thank all of you greatly. At the same time, it wasn't until a few chapters in that I learned the entire first season of RWBY takes place over a semester's worth of school. Which is the main reason why the relationship between Crimson and Weiss (as well as some other events) was so rushed.**

 **Which brings me to the Question of the Day.**

 **Would you guys be interested in a side story expanding on Crimson's time at Beacon Academy?**

 **I'll be creating a poll on my page for you guys to vote on.**

 **Third Item of business. I've been working with a friend of mine that goes by Keyblade Guardian Ace. We've been going though some ideas and I think he's got some potential for a good story. So, if you would kindly check out his story RNGRs Together, Huntsmen Forever. As of writing this he's got four chapters currently out serving as trailers for each of his characters.**

 **Finally, for anyone who looks forward to these. This is still technically a chapter of sorts, so we'll go through the latest reviews.**

 **Guest: Sweeeet. I don't know who you are, but the comment very is much appreciated.**

 **Merendinoemiliano: Thanks once again for your support. Not gonna lie the idea for the previous chapter came late and I cut some corners since I wanted to put it out before Christmas was over. I just wanted to have some fun so I'm aware it wasn't my best work.**

 **Raychii521 and RandoFox. I'm aware you won't see this anyway. Sorry Nickelback and the five-person team ruined it for you. I chose that particular Nickelback song because I thought it would work for a nice clam down song that eventually turned out to mean something for the characters. For those who stuck around. I replaced the artist in the first chapter for someone who did a cover of the same song. Don't know if it'll work, but I figured a placebo effect might work to trick people to keep reading past that part. The song's message works for the story and it wouldn't be right to change it just to appease those who hate Nickelback. As for the five-person team… Well those who stuck around know what happened with that. Another product of having no plan when I started.**

 **To those that have stuck around this year and a half. You have no idea how much the support for this story as well as my others has meant to me. Stay awesome everyone.**


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